


Liminal Space

by Iocane



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fairly long, Fully written, Leia ships it, M/M, Other characters will be added as chapters are uploaded, Slow Burn, TFA canon only, adoption (of a droid), crossover with cabin pressure, crossover with ds9, crossover with firefly, crossover with stargate: atlantis, crossovers, fake married, if I tried to add them all now my fingers would fall off, not all at once though, posting in small parts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-10-28 13:46:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 70,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10832505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iocane/pseuds/Iocane
Summary: In the wake of the destruction of the Hosnian system, Poe and Finn are sent on a long ranging and far reaching mission to obtain resources and information for the struggling resistance.  They meet some colorful characters along the way.  And Finn finds his place at last.





	1. Poe

**Author's Note:**

> This originally came out of the realization that I had something of a thing for hot shot pilots, and was actually planned as a "What if all the hot shot sci fi pilots I love turned up at a bar somewhere for no discernable reason?" And it eventually became this, which is nothing like the plan. Hopefuly, the injected characters don't ruin the mood too much, I tried to make them recognizable if you knew them, but not alienating to someone who didn't.
> 
> The fic is done, and so is a good chuk of the sequel. I've just been sitting on it for a while because of various reasons.
> 
> Chapters are titled by the POV character, all writing is third person but each chapter will be following someone else's thoughts.

Poe couldn't help but grin as he made his way across the resistance base. Past all of the job specific clusters of single rooms, and the collections of larger family sized suites. His goal was the far set of small rooms, undesignated, used for temporary lodgings, or for housing people new to the Resistance, who hadn't yet worked out their place.

And also for ex stormtroopers, who were ecstatic at having that much space of his own. Space he was currently painting … "Is that chartreuse?" Poe asked, leaning against the doorjamb, appreciating the view. Or part of it, anyway. Finn had on paint spattered pants that hung a bit low, and a snug fitting black tank top that left his arms exposed.

"Uh, yeah," Finn answered sheepishly, setting the brush aside and tugging the rag out of his paint-spattered pants to wipe his hands. "The General said I could paint the walls and … no one seemed to want this color, and we didn't have … I mean, we couldn't …" He took a deep breath, though Poe didn't mind his nervous babbling. "There wasn't a lot of color in the First Order," he finished.

"Hey, it's good. It suits you," Poe said. Stepping forward, he plucked the rag from Finn's hand and wiped at a dab on his cheek, which was unfortunately dry. Once inside the room, he saw the full extent of Finn's need for color. "Well …" he couldn't help but grin further. It was very … Finn. 

The wall opposite the door was chartreuse. The wall the door was on was a dark, rich blue with streaks of various other colors - including the same bright, sickly green of the opposite wall. The wall his bed was against was a bright yellow that would have been blinding if not for the vaguely crosshatched pattern of dark green and browns, giving Poe the feeling of a tree lined savannah. The final wall was mostly bare concrete still, except for a few swipes of purple - which matched the bucket sitting near the wall. When he looked back at Finn, Poe saw the nervous, almost shy look on his face and realized he'd been staring at his walls for a few minutes without speaking. "It really is great, buddy," he said with a broad smile.

"Thanks, uhm … The General told me I could use whatever paints no one was using and … " He shrugged, scraping at the dry paint on his cheek. "Is everything okay? Is she mad? Did I misunderstand?" 

Poe took hold of Finn's shoulders before his friend could work up a proper panic. "No, she's not mad. I think she'd love with you've done with the place. I'm actually here to ask for your help," he said, hoping to put his mind at ease.

"Oh. Oh. Okay, yeah, good. I can … what do you need? Is the General okay? Have we heard from Rey? Are we flying? Do you need me to shoot anyone?" 

Poe laughed softly. "She's fine, we haven't, yes, and I hope not," he answered in succession.

When he realized they were flying, Finn actually let out a quiet whoop and punched the air. "Wait, if I'm not shooting anyone, why am I coming along?" he asked, seeming genuinely baffled.

"Because shooting people isn't all you're good for, buddy," Poe said quietly, giving his shoulders a squeeze before letting go, realizing he'd been holding on a bit longer than was generally appropriate. "And because I want you to come," he said.

If anything, Finn seemed more baffled by that, and then he smiled again. "Okay. Are we going now? I mean, I need to shower and I …" He looked down at his paint spattered clothes. "I don't have anything besides these," he admitted. "They were already stained, the General said they'd have some more for me but I didn't want to bother anyone, I haven't needed anything else, and my old clothes got shredded."

"I think I've got a few things you can have, buddy, we're about the same size," Poe had noticed his jacket had fit Finn uncommonly well. When Finn wore it, it wasn't obvious that it was custom made for someone else's measurements.

"I can pay you back, once they decide what I'm doing here," Finn offered.

"We'll work it out, buddy. Why don't you go shower, and I'll get some clothes for you, alright? Meet back here in half an hour?" He asked.

Finn agreed and they parted ways.

* * * * * * * * * *

BB-8 chirped out of standby mode when Poe's door slid open to admit him. *[ Where were you? ]*

"I was with the General, and then I was at Finn's," he told the droid as he crossed to the closet. Here, alone with his droid, he could relax a little, not have to be quite so guarded when it came to his feelings for others. Or specifically, one other.

*[ Finn? ]* the droid chirped inquiringly, rolling closer, using a hook to pull up onto the bed.

"Yeah, the general's sending me to gather information and make some contacts. She said I needed a break after my last few missions and I can't bring myself to argue that point," he pulled out two black shirts and a pair of grey slacks, tossing them onto the bed.

*[ And you're taking Fiiinn? ]* the last beep was coyly drawn out.

"Yes, I'm taking Finn. She needs all the other pilots here, and I know he doesn't feel he has anything to offer." Two pairs of blue jeans, a vest not unlike Solo's, shirts of three different colors, including a dark gold one that would really look good against Finn's skin. He continued looking through his closet, picking out items Finn might enjoy - or look especially good in. They were of a size enough that he wasn't worried about the fit.

*[ You're taking Fiiiiiinnn. ]* BB-8 teased Poe, rolling in tiny circles, head staying steadily focused on the man currently gutting his closet.

When the heavy winter coat landed on the droid, it was completely by accident, and Poe would maintain that story to his dying day.

The angry beeping wasn't really translatable until the jacket was worked off the bed. *[ You're taking him because you want to get him alone. ]*

Poe braced his hands on either side of his closet door and sighed, head hanging. "I'm really glad he doesn't speak binary, and I'm really regretting saying anything to you about it," he muttered, but there was no real heat to it. The droid was his best friend, and the one entity in the galaxy that he *could* talk freely to, even if he could be a sassy bastard sometimes.

*[ I think he likes you too. ]*

There was a thunk and Poe felt a familiar bump against his leg prompting him to crouch down onto one knee. "Thanks, buddy," he said, resting his hand on the side of BB-8's lower section. "I'll deal with it, I just … want to give him time to figure out who he is before I try to work myself into the equation."

*[* By giving him half your clothes? *]* now the droid was just getting sassy with him.

"It's not half, it's just a few …" He stood and looked at the pile of clothes on the bed. And then at his closet. More than half lay on the bed. "Uhm, okay … maybe … not ... all of this," he said, moving to the pile on the bed. "He likes colors," he told the droid as he began sorting through everything again. "You should see his room, it's … kind of epic," he grinned.

In the end, he settled on two pairs of blue jeans, one pair of black slacks, and a pair of orange flight pants - the top of the suit had been damaged so he'd just cut it off and kept the pants. He was more generous with the shirts, giving Finn most of his more boldly colored shirts, along with a few more muted colors. But he made it impossible for Finn to dress entirely in black, the way he'd been under his stormtrooper armour.

In addition to clothes, he gathered two pairs of shoes, and some underwear he'd gotten on his last shopping trip but hadn't yet worn. At the bottom of the pile, as a surprise, he put something that already belonged to Finn, but had found its way back to him while the ex stormtrooper was in the hospital, mostly due to Poe's name being on the leather jacket.

All of this, and a few toiletries, was stuffed into Poe's old school bag.

*[ I'll clean up you go dress your boyfriend. ]* BB-8 said, already using grappling hooks and extended short arms to gather the clothes flung about the room.

"He's not my boyfriend," he said as he ran a mental checklist, making sure there was nothing he was forgetting.

*[ You forgot 'yet.' ]*

"I'm going now," Poe said before the door closed behind him.

When Finn answered the door, Poe realized he'd forgotten a robe. Finn wore only a too-small threadbare towel wrapped around his still damp hips. For someone who got reprimanded for taking off his helmet without permission, Finn had certainly taken to nudity incredibly well. Poe was very careful not to look too much. Or at all.

"I got you some clothes," Poe finally said, handing over the bag. "There's not much there." He grinned as something occurred to him. "We can actually get you more while we're on our mission. We'll be hitting a lot of markets and places like that," he said.

"I don't have any money," Finn pointed out as he took the bag with eager thanks.

"You can pay me back later," he assured his friend. Later, of course, would never come if Poe had anything to say about it. It did seem to soothe Finn not to be taking too much charity. It made Poe even more pissed at the First Order that Finn had no idea whatsoever how friendship actually worked.

"I'll step out so you can … okay, or not," his voice slid a bit higher as Finn whipped the towel off, draping it over the end of his bed to dry. 

Poe was suddenly slightly less angry at the First Order for giving Finn an ass like that.

He actually squealed at the red pants. He pulled on the blue jeans, and a black shirt with bright green piping that matched his newest paint job.

"Poe …" his voice was quiet, almost reverent when he got to the bottom. "I thought they threw it out," he said, lifting the jacket out and holding it up. He could see where it had been repaired, a slightly discolored strip where the synthleather didn't quite match the original, and a similar mark on the shoulder.

"No," Poe let himself step closer now that Finn was dressed. "One of the nurses saw it was mine and brought it to me. I was gonna have it repaired by the time you woke up but you woke up so fast. I still had it repaired, just hadn't had a chance to get it back to you." he chuckled. "But anyway, I meant it. You, ah, you look good in it," he said. It was lame, almost adolescent, but the kid had been a stormtrooper all his life, best to start with light flirting.

"Thanks." Finn's smile was shy as he pulled it on, then tugged on socks and shoes. "How do I look?" He asked.

Like you're about to go on your first date. "You look good," he said. He stepped closer "Except …" the collar on the shirt was at odds with the collar on the jacket and Poe adjusted both, fingers brushing Finn's skin occasionally as he did so. He smoothed the jacket down Finn's front before stepping back. "There, now you look great," he said, hoping his olive complexion hid his faint blush a little.

Finn cleared his throat and smiled "Alright, thanks. So … what *are* we doing?" He asked, packing everything back into the bag, having nowhere else to put it. Furniture beyond a bed and night stand was still on a wait list.

"The General wants needs some information, it's, ah, it's kind of a long term mission," he said, sitting on the corner of Finn's bed. Finn kept the shoes out of the bag, putting one pair on.

"Long term? Like… more than a few hours?" Finn set the other shoes beside his nightstand.

"Unless we get something exceptionally good, or we're called back, we could be gone for a month," Poe said, plucking absently at the pilling on Finn's light blanket.

"Oh. That's … long term," Finn agreed, finally putting the bag down and joining Poe on the side of the bed. "Pretty close quarters?" he asked quietly.

"We'll be in something about half the size of the Falcon. A small trading ship, living quarters are tiny but there's enough cargo space for us to be believable as small time traders," he said. "And actually getting you geared up will work on our favor - anyone asks, we're getting samples of different goods," he smiled.

"I'm used to cramped quarters," Finn said with sadness tinged smile. "This is…" He patted the bed, which was pushed into one corner. "We got about a third of this on Starkiller. We had to sleep on our sides to fit."

"Man … " Poe rested a hand on Finn's shoulder. "You're gonna have a lot more space than that on our trip, I promise," he said with a smile and Finn returned it.

"Do we need to do anything before we go? I don't … I mean, I'm not a citizen of … anything," Finn pointed out.

"Not important, most of the places we're going to won't ask for any kind of paperwork. My contacts already know who I am, so I can't use a pseudonym. We'll have a day or two before first planetfall so we can come up with a proper backstory and anything else we might need. One place will need some credentials, and those are mostly in the works - I'll fill in any relevant information when we need it," he assured him.

"Okay … Are you sure they can spare you for a month?" He asked, making no move to remove Poe's hand.

"Hopefully. If they can't, the General has a way of contacting us in an emergency, and I'll be sending her updates on our progress."

"Sounds like you've got everything taken care of. I'm … you sure you need me along? Wouldn't someone else be better? Someone that's … actually been around and wasn't raised on blasters and marching?"

"Maybe, but you're the one I picked. And there's something I wanna ask the general about before we go," he said, as something occurred to him.

* * * * * * * * * *

It was a good two or three hours before they were finally underway, Poe taking the ship out of the atmosphere as Finn acquainted himself with the galley.

There wasn't a copilot's seat, but there was a jump seat so Finn could join him in the cockpit. A rich aroma preceded Finn into the cabin by a few seconds, and Poe took the cup with a smile. "You learn quick for someone who didn't know what this stuff was a week ago," he said, taking a grateful sip.

Finn chuckled "You have to be a quick study to survive stormtrooper training. And thank you again." Finn settled in the jump seat and took a sip of his own drink.

"No problem, buddy. I just wish I'd thought of it sooner. But now you have your own money to shop with while we're there. I think partly she wants to compensate for what happened on Starkiller," he said.

"I've never had money before," Finn said, still sounding a bit awed at the idea of getting paid for the mission, the same pay Poe was getting.

"Well, our first stop is at one of the bigger markets in this sector, so you'll have your first experience at spending money soon," Poe promised with a grin.

"I can't wait." And Finn meant it.


	2. Finn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two brief encounters with crews of other ships and some cuteness from the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For characters, I've decided to only list those with speaking parts.

"... and we have the best deal on compressors you'll find this site of Coursatant," Finn heard the man proclaim to anyone and everyone as he followed Poe through the crowd.

"Oh, Finn, here," Poe's fingers curled around Finn's arm and tugged him towards one of the booths on the far side of compressor guy. "Holo display," he held up a small palm-sized disk, pressing a button. 

A scantily clad woman with no hair and four breasts swayed in a tight circle on the disk. She was blue and a bit blinky but it wasn't bad. "It's … nice," Finn said, head cocking thoughtfully to the side. She didn't do anything for him. Certain people made him tingle a little, being around them. Even pictures of them, or just thinking about him. But he didn't find her attractive. "I mean, the … holo display is nice but … do they have others?"

"Oh yeah, this is just a default sample image," Poe assured him. He showed Finn where the little chip came out. 

The woman running the booth made a series of birdlike chirping noises. Finn looked to Poe for a translation. "She said buy a display and get three different chips for free."

"Oh. Is that a good deal? What does she want for it?" Finn brushed against Poe as he moved around him, seeing the pile of chips, each labeled with simple images, apparently indicating what the image itself was.

Poe and the woman went back and forth, Finn listening with half an ear, but mostly just watching Poe out of the corner of his eye.

"Okay, buddy," Poe got his attention with a hand on his shoulder and Finn tried not to think about how much he liked that. "The medium display plate," Poe indicated one half again the size of the first one "five chips, and a recorder for twenty five credits," he said. 

"Oh … that's … Yeah, I can do that," he said with a nod, reaching for his card. It felt like a lot but it was really just a small fraction of what he had. General Organa, in addition to giving him a stipend for the trip had given him retro payments for services already rendered on behalf of the resistance. Apparently, rescuing one of their best pilots paid very well.

Poe took his card and made the transaction as Finn picked out the five chips he wanted. A tree, a cat creature, two men apparently dancing, and two blank ones that Poe told him he could record anything on. Everything was soon bagged up and tucked into the bag Poe carried with him.

They worked through the marketplace, blending in with the others as Poe worked his way not-obviously towards their contact. They stopped a dozen times to look at things, and stayed long enough to buy three times. A large, brightly colored tapestry/scarf for Finn, purchased by Poe. A small droid resting station, purchased for BB-8 by Finn, because Poe wouldn't let him buy the scarf. And two sticks of sweetair - sweet, fluffy pink nothing on a paper stick that melted on Finn's tongue.

Once they reached Poe's contact, Finn waited outside, just watching the crowds. Most of what he could hear was clicks, whistles, beeps, trills, and a dozen other not-words sounds, so when he could understand something, he tended to listen closely.

There were four people that could see speaking a familiar language. 

"Rodney, I'm pretty sure we're not gonna find one here," said a tall man in grey pants and a snug black shirt. "I think we took a wrong turn … somewhere," he looked around at the section of market they were in, squinting almost suspiciously. When he turned his head, Finn noticed pointed ears and wondered if he was as human as he looked.

"We followed the directions, Teyla's guy said take a right, then a left, then two rights and then go straight," said a shorter, somewhat excitable looking man, fingers waving as he spoke. He had on light brown pants and a blue shirt. "That's what we did, he said we'd find a market and that's what we found, we just have to … barter," he said, turning to look at the woman with them.

She was the shortest of all, and actually reminded Finn of General Organa - quiet but with unmistakable command, like someone who'd been in charge of very important things from a very young age. "Perhaps T'lan was wrong," she said, her accent different from the other two men. "We can look-" the excitable man perked up "-a little bit" she finished and he deflated somewhat.

"Part of the problem is nobody here seems to understand us," The dark haired one pointed out. Finn noticed then that he had somewhat chaotic hair. Messy, but not curly the way Poe's was. Poe always looked like someone had been running their hands through his hair. Finn cleared his throat and tried to nip that line of thinking in the bud.

"Maybe ask him," came a rough, deep voice. It belonged to a very scruffy looking guy even taller than the other two, who reminded him of Chewie for some reason, even though he wasn't nearly as furry as the Wookie. It was the first he'd spoken so far.

It took Finn a second to realize four sets of eyes were on him. He had been trying not to stare, not well enough apparently. He straightened up against the wall, reminding himself that he could fight if necessary, even though he didn't have a blaster.

"Hey, you, excuse me," the quick talking man approached Finn. "You can understand us, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Finn nodded, glancing at the shop doorway through which Poe had gone about ten minutes earlier. "Yeah, I can understand you," he said, hoping they didn't think he was running either of the booths on either side of him.

"Oh, thank god. Okay, look, we're looking for a ZedPM," he said. At Finn's uncomprehending look, he sighed. "Okay, Zed P M, zero point module, it's … looks like stained glass, about this big," he indicated something about a foot and a half tall and about half that wide. "Hopefully glowing?"

"Rodney, I really don't think we're gonna find one here." The messy haired one said.

"Shut up, Sheppard, I finally found someone who speaks English and I'm gonna get some answers."

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like that," Finn admitted. "Or heard of it. I mean, Starkiller base put out a lot of energy but I've never heard of this Zed-ah-"

"ZedPM, zero point energy. Nothing ringing a bell?" The excitable man seemed to be losing some of his enthusiasm.

"Hey, buddy, you ready?" Poe said cheerfully, backpack a bit more bulging than it had been when he went in.

"Uh, yeah, did you get what you came for?" He asked as he pushed away from the wall, glancing at the group.

"That and more, I've got our next stop," he said, patting his breast pocket, bumping his shoulder against Finn. Then he noticed the others. "Help you folks?"

"Rodney, let's just get back to the ship," Messy Hair said irritably.

Ignoring him, he addressed Poe, repeating what he was looking for.

"Never heard of that, but if you're looking for energy modules and batteries, uhm …" He glanced up and down the marketplace before pointing out a booth festooned with lights and ribbons of cable. "Talk to them," he said. "If it can power something else, they've heard of it."

As the group left, they headed back to the ship. "Think they'll find what they're after?" 

"No idea," Poe admitted, "But that booth is their best bet, they sell batteries and generators and that kind of thing."

On their way back to the ship, Finn got a few more sticks of sweetair.

* * * * * * * * * *

It's a full day of travel time to their next stop, and Finn spent his time playing with his new holo display. The chips occupied him for a while, just … enjoying them. And grinning - privately - at the fact that they were *his*. His own, purchased with his own money that he'd earned himself.

The one with the tree symbol was a small tree with a twisting pattern to the bark. To Finn's surprise, the tree had arms and seemed … He leaned forward, turning the plate this way and that to confirm. The tree had a face, and it was swaying, almost dancing, the arms waving and the head bobbing to silent music.

At first, he thought the cat one was broken. The feline lay on its side, tail curled around its body, its nose tucked under one paw. But then an ear twitched, and he could make out the slow up and down of the cat breathing. He left that one in while he made something to eat for him and Poe.

The reconstituted stew ended up a bit burnt, but after sniffing each bowl, Finn gave the least burned one to Poe, with an apology.

"Hey, thanks, Buddy," the pilot said with a grin. "You don't have to, I could've gotten something," he said, saying nothing about the burnt taste.

"It's fine, I was hungry and thought you might be, too. I'm still getting used to everything, I've never … cooked before."

"You're doing a pretty good job so far. This is a lot better than *my* first effort at cooking," Poe promised.

"Yeah but you were probably a kid," FInn pointed out, knowing most people had childhoods wholly unlike his own.

"Nope, I was sixteen and decided to make dad dinner for his birthday," Poe said with a cringe. Then he launched into an animated tale that involved, ultimately, two frying pans burned beyond salvageability, one sauce pan rendered too toxic to be safe, five melted utensils, a short-circuited cook plate, and an official order from the town masters that he was never going to try and cook unsupervised again.

"I have it, still!" Poe laughed. "It's hanging in my quarters, I'll show you when we get back."

FInn was still laughing softly at the story. "Okay, yeah, that's … seriously, how do you even make protein bars toxic?!" He asked with a laugh, shaking his head.

"Apparently there's something when you mix it with han ba root, it interacts with the enzymes and … " He shook his head. "There's a reason I'm a pilot. This," he waved his hand at the array of - to Finn - incomprehensible controls, "is easy for me. I've been flying since I was a kid. Maybe you're a natural chef, we could certainly use more … maintenance staff. Not that you need to be a janitor again," he added quickly.

"No, it's good," Finn said with a smile, surprised Poe even recalled that small detail. "Maybe next market, I can buy some ingredients. You said we'll be at this for a month, right?"

"Unless something comes up, yeah. And we can get you some stuff at the next stop. It's not another market like the last one, but I'm sure I can talk someone into letting us have something besides soup packets and protein bars."

"I have no doubt you can," Finn said with a chuckle, suspecting Poe could talk anyone into anything, he had that natural charm.

Finn deposited their empty bowls and spoons into the dishwasher before going back to his quarters.

The 'cat' was still sleeping on his holo plate, and Finn could see why people would have such a static image - it made a small, confined space feel a little more alive. He almost felt guilty deactivating the plate and swapping out the two boys dancing.

It was a close dance, not anything fast or frenzied. They were close, the taller of the two was holding the hand of his partner to his chest, other hand around the smaller man's waist. The shorter man had one arm on his partner's shoulder and their faces were closed. They swayed together, and even with the small image, Finn couldn't help but think they seemed very intent on each other. It gave him pangs of longing for something he couldn't quite name. The taller man had dark, curly hair though his face was much longer and more angular than Poe's.

When he switched chips this time, he tucked the dancing one deep into the drawer he'd claimed in the dresser, suddenly embarrassed to think of Poe seeing it.

He still had one blank one, and he put in the recording he'd made earlier, while Poe was doing his pre-flight checks. Finn had followed the directions on the holo recorder, after getting the interface switched to a language he could read. He'd made a 360 recording of 'their' little ship. He'd not recorded one of the wings and missed part of the back but it was clearly the ship they were in. Maybe he'd try again the next time he had room. He had the vague idea of giving Poe a really good recording of the ship. 

He knew what he wanted to get on the final chip, but he didn't think it was ever going to happen. It would be weird asking Poe for a holo of him just because. And Finn couldn't even say why he wanted one, he just knew people kept images of things they liked nearby. And Finn liked Poe. A lot.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finn was a bit hungry as they stepped into their next stop. Poe had advised him not to cook, they were going to "eat out" and Finn had seen a flash of something on Poe's face when Finn expressed that he had no clue what eating out was. 

"Okay, buddy, yeah, you're gonna like this," Poe said, clapping Finn on the back as they approached the large, somewhat ramshackle looking building.

The inside was nicer than the outside, but only a little. A short green thing with three eyestalks and six skittering legs lead them to a small table. One of the legs lifted up and tapped under the table, and two squares of light popped up with several lines of incomprehensible symbols. Poe thanked the being as the two of them sat opposite each other.

Poe stood and moved to stand beside Finn, reaching over his shoulder to point at the writing. "Okay, buddy, this is the menu," he leaned in. "One second," he brushed closer, crowding into Finn's space as he tapped a control near the corner. The menus blinked out and then reappeared in a language Finn could read. Finn almost didn't notice, instead taking in the fact that Poe smelled really good.

Finn nodded, doing his best to pay attention to Poe's explanation, distracted both by the man himself, and the raucous table beside them.

"I think I got it," he said, sticking his finger in the menu, highlighting one of the options. "If I want this, I drag it over there," he indicated a blue box in the corner. "Put my card in here," he tapped the slot near the corner, "And then they'll make it and bring it over here?" He said, glancing at Poe for approval.

"You got it, buddy. You have to approve the charge before they'll bring it over, so you can correct any mistakes or get more than one thing. With a friendly squeeze of Finn's shoulder, Poe rounded and settled in front his own menu.

Finn did his best to resist the urge to just … play with the menu. The food items he selected followed his finger. He wasn't sure what a lot of the things were, but even so, it all sounded a lot better than what he'd been cooking.

Realizing Poe's menu was gone and he'd made his selection, Finn cleared his throat and buckled down. He settled on what he thought was grilled steak and some vegetables. When he 'dropped' the selection in, he was given a new menu and must have made a face because Poe chuckled "Yeah, you get dessert, too, buddy," his friend said with a smile.

"That's the sweet stuff after the meal, right?" Finn asked. "Like Sweetair?"

"Yeah, except this stuff is even better. More substance. May I?" Poe reached over, finger hovered near the menu.

"Yeah, sure," Finn nodded, shoulders relaxing as Poe made the dessert selection for him. 

"Anything but coffee," Finn said when the dessert menu turned into a drink menu.

"You got it," Poe quickly swiped a selection into the box. The menu turned into the list of selections, confirming what his orders were.

When Finn inserted his card, it told him the order was already paid. A quick look at Poe - and the guilty/impish expression confirmed it. "Sneaky," he said with a soft laugh, finding he didn't actually mind it this time, though he made a mental note to return the favor as soon as he could.

When the menu cleared, Poe tapped the controls again the display on the table itself changed, and Finn realized it was like the one in the Falcon. Except this wasn't figures fighting each other, it was … holes with rocks?

"It's a game we play on Yavin," Poe explained, actually looking as shy and uncertain as Finn usually felt. "I've got a proper board back on the base but I can teach you, if you want, it'll be a while before the food gets here," he said.

The table next to them exploded in cheers and they looked over, seeing a redheaded girl tuck her face into the shoulder of the dark haired boy beside her while the others at their table cheered and congratulated them. Trying not to stare, Finn noticed a glittering ring on the girl's finger when she held it out for the dark skinned woman at the table to see.

Clearing his throat, Finn turned back to the table, giving Poe a quick smile. "Yeah, I'd love to learn. I don't, ah, know any games that aren't basically stormtrooper training," he admitted quietly and saw that flicker Poe's eye again.

"Okay, buddy, so you have six cups on each side," Poe indicated the dips in the board with the piles of stones. Finn realized each cup had the same number of stones. "The goal is to empty your side before the other guy empties his. You do that by picking all the stones in a cup," Poe demonstrated, 'grabbing' the stones and then dropping one into each of the cups to the right of the one he selected, with the final one in the larger trough like cup at the end.

Finn leaned forward to watch and listen as Poe explained. Ultimately, it was about strategy and by the time their food came, they were into their second game, and Finn felt like he was holding his own. "I'll save the game, we can finish on the ship," Poe said, tapping the controls when their food arrived. The game board vanished and a small chip popped out of the table, which Poe pocketed.

The food was good, and Finn was right - grilled something steak and a steaming pile of green, orange and blue vegetables. The drink Poe had chosen was dark and fizzy and tickled his nose when he drank it. It had a spicy flavor, while still being undeniably sweet.

They chatted easily, Poe asking Finn if he planned to do all of his walls with the mixed paint jobs, emphasizing that he liked the look of the two he'd done already. Finn found himself talking about all the colors, and what he wanted to do. He knew it looked garish to everyone else - there was a reason the resistance had unused cans of those colors. "But after so long …" he trailed off with a shrug.

"I get it, buddy," Poe promised with a smile. "I think that scarf I got you would look good over your bed," he suggested.

After a bit, the conversation lulled.

"Hey, excuse me," Finn saw one of the people from the nearby table approach Poe. "Can you take a picture for us?" The man asking had a rusty red shirt, suspenders and snug fitting tan pants with almost knee length boots. He had a face that was at the same time boyish and serious, reminding him not a little bit of Han Solo. 

Poe grinned "Yeah, of course. Your friends just got engaged, right?" He asked, setting his fork down.

Everyone crowded around the happy couple. They were seated, and around them was the man who'd asked, a tall woman with skin only a few shades lighter than Finn's, a guy with reddish blonde hair cuddled up to her. There was also another dark skinned man, much older than the rest with snow white hair and streaks of grey, and a largely built man wearing a rather ugly knitted cap with bits dangling down the side. Finally was a woman who looked decidedly out of place with the rest of her rough party. She had inky black hair that reminded him of Poe, and a similar complexion. Her clothes were rich and expensive looking, but she wore them with a grace that reminded him of the general - who he had since learned was also a princess. The final member of the party, seated on the opposite side of the dark haired man and shared his looks, was a girl with long brown hair, a narrow face and wide eyes. She had an innocence that Finn found reflected his own feelings sometimes, like she was in the world, but not entirely of it.

Poe happily took several shots of the group, going so far as to have their positioned changed for a more artfully arranged shot, balancing the color and brightness of the outfits. He also made sure not to stop until he'd gotten good expressions from everyone in the same picture. Handing the camera back over, he congratulated them again and rejoined Finn, looking energized.

"Engaged?" Finn whispered. He knew engage as in to engage the enemy, but this obviously wasn't the case.

As they finished their dinner, Poe explained engagements and marriage. "Not everyone does, especially during a war, and you don't need it any more legally, but a lot of people like to. I want to, someday," he said and there was a weight to the words that FInn couldn't quite interpret.

After the dinner dishes were cleared away, dessert was laid out, and their drinks were refreshed. It still made Finn's nose tickle and he found he liked it. The dessert was a brown lump on his plate, with brown sauce drizzled over it in a crisscross pattern. Poe's was a crispy looking wedge filled with chunks of something, and a scoop of something cold, and quickly melting.

Instead of digging into his, Finn realized Poe was watching him eagerly, waiting for Finn to start. Picking up his fork, he tried to get a small bit of the mound. To his surprise, the fork poked through and the mound began to ooze. The forkful he got was part cake and part ooze and when he tasted it, he full on moaned. Way, way better than sweetair. "Oh … oh man," he took another bite, realizing the entire inside of the mound was the oozing sauce.

Poe looked immensely satisfied at how much Finn was enjoying the dessert Poe chose. 

"What's that one?" Finn asked, nodding to Poe's selection.

"It was mom's favorite, not quite as good as hers but not bad. Want a bite?"

"Sure!" Finn said with an eager smile. Poe got some of the wedge and some of the melty stuff onto a fork, holding one hand under as he offered it to Finn. Knowing he couldn't take the fork without upsetting the food, Finn leaned over and took the bite. It was spicy and tart where his was pure sweet, and the combination of chill and warm was surprisingly appealing. "Oh that's nice. It looks kind of simple to make, I mean, not the pastry but … a lot easier than this," he admitted, gesturing to his own dessert as he sat back.

"Yeah, it's pretty easy," Poe agreed. "I can probably find you a recipe," he added as he took another bite.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Finn tucked back into his own dessert.

They were near the end when someone coming in caught Poe's eye. "I'll be back," He said, wiping his mouth and dropping his napkin into his chair. Apparently their contact had finally arrived, and Finn couldn't even bring himself to feel abandoned. They'd had a great meal together, and the contact was why they were here in the first place.

"Mind if I sit?" Finn was pulled out of his thoughts by a quiet voice, and turned to see the redheaded woman from the nearby table.

"Uhm, sure," he smiled. "And congratulations," he added, recalling Poe saying that several times.

"Thanks! Been waitin' for a few years for it, glad he finally asked 'fore I had to," she said cheerfully. Then she turned a bit more serious "It ain't fun waitin' to find out if they feel the same way," she said meaningfully. "Sometimes you just gotta go after what you want. Don't let him wait till you're all about to die to realize he can't live without you."

Finn felt his face heat up in embarrassment at what she was implying. "I'm not, I mean, he's just … it isn't …"

"Oh, it's okay that you're sly, I think he is, too," she said with quick assurance, reaching to squeeze his hand. "He ain't taken his eyes off you all night, 'cept to go talk to his friend," she indicated Poe and their contact talking quietly in a darkened corner at the far side of the room. "He's pretty, ain't all posh, either, not like my Simon," she said, giving her fiance a fond look, and he waved when he caught her eye. Finn realized with an ache he'd love to have someone look at him like that. The way Poe looked when he talked about flying. "You remind me o' River," she said after a moment. "Simon's sister," she indicated the distant looking brunette.

"Oh?" He asked, not sure how to take that and his confusion must've showed on his face.

"She had somethin' done to her, scrambled her up inside, and she's only just now learning to be … well just be again, like a person. You look like that, like you ain't had a life like the rest of us. I don't mean nothin' by it," she said quickly, and Finn found himself returning her smile. "But I think it's sweet, and maybe your man does, too." She could see Poe returning and stood. "Anyway, think about what I said. Maybe it's because I'm in love and want everyone else to be, too," she admitted with a laugh. She leaned in quickly and Finn found himself on the receiving end of the third hug of his entire life. She smelled sweet, like berries. She waved to Poe as he arrived, retreating back to her table, sharing a quick kiss with her fiance.

"I leave you alone for five minutes and already you're making new friends," Poe said with a cheerful smile, settling down to finish his dessert.

"She just … ah, said she wanted to thank you for taking the pictures," Finn said with a smile. He certainly wasn't about to tell Poe the real subject of their conversation.

"It was nothing, I like seeing people happy, and they remind me of my parents a little bit, and they were very happy," Poe said, a slight spark of sadness in his eyes but it was mixed with happiness.

"Did you get what we came for?" He asked quietly as they finished their desserts, each man cleaning their plate. 

"I did," he nodded. "I'll send a message back to the general before we leave the planet," he told him.

After they stood to leave, the brunette - the fiance's sister, Finn recalled, approached them. "Kaylee wants you to have this," she said, pushing a chip into Finn's hand. "And you aren't going to be the only one," she added, her voice sounding like something in a dream before she turned and practically skipped back to her table. She bussed the white haired man on the cheek before sitting beside her brother again, head flopping onto his shoulder.

"What'd she mean by that?" Poe asked confusedly on their way out.

"I have no idea," Finn said with a laugh. 

It turned out the chip was a copy of all the pictures Poe had taken.

* * * * * * * * * *

After leaving the restaurant, Poe told Finn to head back to the ship while he ducked into a shop. Not knowing how long Poe would be, Finn tried to get another holo of the ship itself. Seeing that he could store a lot more information in the recorder, he got one of a nearby ship as well. It was neat looking, reminding him of a large bug, and had a little shuttle on each wing. It was larger than their own ship but not by much.

After getting the recordings, he ducked into the ship, not seeing the large crate of supplies Poe had delivered into the cargo bay shortly after.

"Ready for takeoff, buddy?" Poe stuck his head into Finn's tiny room. "Hey, is that them?" 

Finn looked at the built in frame on the wall and nodded. "You take good pictures," he chuckled. He didn't know why, but he liked the pictures of the group and not just because Poe had taken them. The frame allowed him to zoom in, and he'd focused it on the newly engaged couple and the man's sister, all three of them smiling at the camera. The redhead looked as happy as Finn had ever seen anyone look and he found it impossible not to smile when he saw it.

"They're all pretty, it makes it easy to take good pictures," Poe said with a smile. "I've gotta take some of you," he added and Finn blinked at the sentiment.

"Can I take some of you, too?" Finn asked, wondering how to parlay pictures into a holo without coming off as creepy. 

"Of course, buddy! And we can have someone take pictures of both of us. I'll be able to get a camera in the next few stops," he said with a grin. "We should get one anyway, you need to be able to take pictures of everything, this is like your first vacation."

As they broke from orbit, Finn listened to Poe explain what a vacation was, and made note of Poe's occasional eye twitches that seemed to happen when Finn talked too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this world, Wash and Book are alive, and Inara is with the crew because fuck canon, that's why.


	3. Poe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fake married trope, anyone?

They had left around evening for their internal clocks, so they turned in shortly after. Finn to his room and Poe reclining the pilot's chair, an old hand at catching some shuteye in a cockpit. His mother taught him to never entirely trust autopilot, someone should be in the cockpit at all times, no matter what. The ten seconds it took to get from their quarters to the pilot's seat could mean the difference between a crash landing and leaving bits of themselves in three systems.

The following morning, he told a sleepy Finn what was in the cargo hold, laughing at his friend's eager, almost puppy dog look. "Our contact knew a baker who was going out of business, so I bought up all of their remaining supplies, and some of their pans and things, all for a song." Poe handed over the manifest in a data pad. "You mentioned wanting to try things besides powder and protein bars," he said a little sheepishly. "It'll all keep, if you don't want to. We can use that kind of thing back at base, anyway,"

"No, no!" Finn said, all puppy grins and eager nods. "I want to learn. I mean, I'm used to protien drinks and nutrient pills. Eating is … really nice," he said and Poe felt his eye twitch. 

Poe had to do something about that tic. Every single time Finn mentioned something he'd never had or didn't know, it just renewed his desire to singlehandedly dismantle the entire First Order. He could already see Finn's brow furrowing whenever it happened. "I got you some recipe books, too, they're in the manifest," he said. True to form, it was only a few seconds before Finn had gotten one of them open and was looking through it.

Poe settled back in the pilot seat, Finn in the jump seat. Using reflections so he wasn't obvious, Poe watched his friend. Probably because he wore a helmet all his life, Finn's face was an open book. Poe felt a kinship - to his annoyance, his friends claimed he was a bad liar. The annoying part was that it was mostly true. Acting on a mission like this, he could pull off, but flat out lying to someone who mattered, he had a much harder time.

"Hey, this has some pretty easy ones, I'm gonna go try one, you hungry?" Finn asked, his hand resting on Poe's shoulder, apparently taking his cue from Poe's own rather handsy nature.

"Absolutely, buddy," he nodded.

Poe could hear Finn rattling around in the galley and the low level noise was surprisingly welcome. His mind squirmed away from calling it domestic. Domestic was marriage and building houses and not something that happened during a war. His parents had domestic, for a while. Domestic happened after the fighting was done. Or when you got too old for it.

To his surprise, the all too familiar scent of burnt food soon had his nose wrinkled. "You okay, buddy?" Poe called back, turning his seat to look down the hall to the galley. There was no billowing smoke but he detected a faint haze the system hadn't yet filtered out.

"Kinda wishing I had my helmet back," Finn said, and Poe detected frustration and laughter in his voice. "Uhm … can we afford to put one of these pots out the airlock?" Finn asked, poking his head out of the galley.

Poe couldn't help but chuckle. "We could, but we don't have to."

"I know but it might be more satisfying," Finn admitted, scraping the burned, congealed contents into the protein reclamation system before stuffing the pot itself into the dishwasher. "Sandwiches for lunch?" he asked.

"Sure. What was that about your helmet?" he asked curiously.

"Oh. Stormtrooper helmets. Those lumps on the front are filters. Smoke gets filtered out, but not toxins. Smoke is easy, but there are too many toxins to effectively filter them all, so they don't bother."

At least Finn couldn't see Poe's eye twitching again, this time.

Instead of just slapped together ingredients, Finn had managed to muster up his courage and they had lightly seasoned grilled fowl with thin vegetable slices. The cool, crisp vegetables with the still warm meat was a welcome combination. "What was it you tried to make earlier?"

"Uhm, filling for that pie you like," he admitted. "I was using the pot as a bowl to reconstitute it, and must've bumped the controls because I didn't realize it was on until it started to burn," Finn said and Poe swore he could see his dark skin getting even darker.

Poe felt rather touched that Finn was undertaking that particular meal, though he'd made sure they had everything for it. "I'm sure you'll do better next time," he said, taking another bite of his sandwich. Finn was proving to have a much more delicate hand with spices than with paint colors.

"So what're we doing at the next stop?" Finn asked, brushing the crumbs from his sandwich off his shirt and lap.

"Slight change of pace. It's a fairly locked down planet, they've only got the one spaceport, and beyond that only local vehicles are allowed to fly. Unfortunately the person we need to see is on the far side of the planet."

"Oh. How're we getting there, then? Landspeeder?" He'd always wanted to travel in one of those, silly as it was.

"No. We'll be hitting dirtside around local night, which matches our clocks for once. We're getting a hotel room for the night. We've been cooped up with lukewarm showers and dry air for the better part of a week, showers and proper beds are in order. Tomorrow, we'll be taking a private shuttle to Bakka City," he explained, then bit his lip.

Finn's eyes drifted down to Poe's mouth, then snapped back up to his eyes, maybe checking for that twitch. "You said one room. Are they expensive?" Finn asked. 

"Ah, no, but … This planet isn't just locked down, they're … very conservative. Two men travelling alone, obviously not related, would be … it would attract a lot of attention, even if we claim it's for business. Any businessman worth anything on that planet would have apartments, or friends at the very least."

"Okay … " Finn looked confused and Poe barreled on.

"Bakka City is big on tourism. Especially honeymoons. It'll be easier, less conspicuous if we travel as newlyweds." Poe felt his face darken with embarrassment, dreading Finn's reaction.

"Okay," Finn agreed easily, even giving a little shrug.

"Finn, it's not gonna be like the room here, not bunk beds or anything. One big bed for both of us. And they'd get suspicious if we brought in a cot."

"Even if you were using the same bunk as me back there," Finn indicated their quarters "It would still give me more room than I'm used to." 

Poe turned to check the displays in the hopes of hiding that twitch. "Okay, good," he smiled back at his friend once it was under control. "We'll go straight to the hotel and get room service, watch some vids or holos," Poe suggested.

"Or that game," Finn interjected and Poe nodded in eager agreement.

"Or play," he nodded. "Then tomorrow, I've arranged a charter shuttle to take us to Bakka. Same cover story," he added.

"Alright," Finn nodded. "Hey, wanna play a few rounds now?" 

Poe showed Finn how to activate the holo displays on the cockpit surfaces and they soon finished the game they'd started over dinner on the last planet.


	4. Finn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting to sell fake married, and now there's a droid!

"How do we do it?" Finn asked about two hours before they were meant to land.

"Do what?" Poe looked up from the board where he'd been contemplating his next move.

"Pretend to be married. Stormtroopers don't … and I've never seen … A few people at the base are but I wasn't really there long enough …" he trails off when he sees the twitch in Poe's eye again.

"Oh, right!" Poe shakes his head as if to clear it. "Uhm … there's a lot of ways. I mean, my parents were always affectionate. But General Organa and General Solo were married but you'd mostly never know it to look at them."

Even as a Stormtrooper, Finn knew the silence that fell after was tinged with grief as they both remembered the man in their own way. Finally clearing his throat, Finn spoke again. "But how do you wanna do it? More like the generals or like your parents?"

"I'm … I always figured I'd be like my parents," Poe said quietly, focusing on the board again. "I don't know if it's because I'm a pilot and how we have to be hyperaware of everything in the cockpit, but I'm very tactile. You'll notice none of the clothes you have are scratchy or stiff."

Finn brightened a bit. "Yeah, I noticed that. I thought it was just … after the stormtrooper uniform." He found his hand unconsciously rubbing his thigh. He had on the red pants today with a snug fitting dark grey shirt and he found himself wondering how Poe had looked in them. He focused on the board as well, refusing to let his thoughts show on his face.

"I'm glad you like them," Poe murmured. "Anyway, about seeming married. My parents weren't … I mean, some people are obnoxious about it, constantly in each other's space, always kissing, obnoxious pet names."

"Pet names?"

"Like something you call people when you like them, besides their name."

"Like Buddy?"

This time the silence was a bit more awkward, both men staring sharply at the holo projected board in front of them, pretending to count stones and plan moves.

"More like sweetie, darling, dad called mom butterfly and bird a lot, because she loved flying so much."

"So what's buddy?" It hadn't escaped Finn's notice that Poe called him that a lot. And to his own chagrin, he hadn't spent enough time around Poe and others at the base to know if he called everyone that or not. Although in a way, Finn's very name could be a pet name. It wasn't his official designation, it's just what Poe had decided to call him.

"It's … " Poe bit his lip and Finn watched through lashes as he kept his head bowed towards the board. "It's … maybe it's kind of a pet name, but they're different between friends, when it's just friends it's an endearment. Usually someone just uses pet names for one person. My dad didn't call anyone else butterfly. But he called me and a bunch of other people buddy," Poe finally said after some thought.

"Alright," Finn nodded. "So do you wanna do that, when we land? The … hand holding and … things? Pet names?"

Poe took a slow breath and sat back in his chair, sprawling in it, tapping the armrest with one hand, the other bent up, reaching to fiddle with something that wasn't there. "Might help to sell the story," he said quietly. "But if we're uncomfortable with it, it'll just be worse than not doing anything."

"I don't mind touching," Finn said, and it was true. "I like it, actually. We didn't, much…" He trailed off as Poe's eye twitched. "You don't like when I talk about being a stormtrooper," he concluded, finally making the connection.

"What?" Poe asked, rubbing his eye as if to stop the twitch. Then he took a breath. "No, that's not … that's not it, buddy," he said gently.

Finn didn't pretend to look at the board this time, just waiting for Poe to explain it.

"They stole so much from you, Finn," Poe said, leaning forward again. "Even a name. You're how old?"

"Twenty four."

"Twenty four years old and there is so very much that they took from you, I can't even think of everything. I mean … kriffing *color!* And good food, friendship just … human contact. And every time I find out something else they took away from you, I just want to go blow them all up, but I can't, so I just keep it inside and …" he rubbed his eye where it twitched.

Finn reached over, arm partially through the holo board as he rested a hand on Poe's arm. "It's okay," he said with a smile. "I started to think it was because I talked too much or that you didn't like remembering I was a stormtrooper."

"Oh, no, buddy, no!" Poe reached and took Finn's other hand, giving it a squeeze. "No, I just … wish I could give everything back that they took."

"You're making a good start of it!" Finn said with a laugh. "I owe you so much, Poe Dameron." The words somehow had the feel of a vow.

"You saved my life, let's call it even, Finn … We need a last name for you. And I'm not turning 2187 into a name, it has to be something entirely new. Finn is enough of a nod back to your old life."

"I don't know many last names at all. Yours is the one I like best," he admitted, and Finn realized Poe was still holding his hand and he couldn't bring himself to pull away. Instead he curled his fingers, almost settling into the hold.

"Finn Dameron," Poe said as if testing it, and Finn felt a tingle slide through his body.

"There," Finn said with a nod. "Now you've given me my entire name … if that's okay?"

"Yeah, buddy. You'll make a good Dameron, we're all pilots or soldiers. And about names, a lot of people have middle ones, too. Usually a family name or something to honor friends. Mine is Wedge, another pilot like mom from the last war. She said he was hands down the best pilot she'd ever met. Teased dad sometimes that she would fly off with him some day. Dad wasn't bothered, Uncle Wedge was head over heels for someone else, but I never knew who, just that he meant a lot to Uncle Wedge."

"Poe Wedge Dameron," Finn said, making note of his full name. "Has a nice ring to it," he nodded. "So what should I use for a middle name?"

Poe laughed and shook his head. "No way, buddy. Two out of three from me. You need to pick the last one for yourself. Once you've decided, I'll send a message back to the general and she can have your paperwork fixed, get you proper citizenship and all that."

"I'll think about it," Finn promised as he finally made a move in the game, not even sure what, just knowing they'd been paused for a while while they talked.

Poe glanced at the board, barely seeing it. "How do *you* want to do it? The married thing," Poe asked him.

"I think …" he rubbed his palms slowly together. "We seem to touch a lot anyway," he murmured. And honestly the two seemed to have a natural synchronicity. He could walk in stride with any stormtrooper living because they'd all been trained exactly the same way. But he and Poe had also walked easily together, falling into step as if they'd worked together for years. And in the tie fighter, it had been almost effortless once Finn had gotten the hang of the controls. Even easier than with Rey. "Maybe just wing it?" He finally said. "That's what pilots are good at right?" He asked with what he hoped was a teasing smile. That smile broadened when Poe laughed and agreed.

"Alright, we'll wing it. Just we have to make sure not to oversell it, but I think we'll be fine."

* * * * * * * * *  
They each packed a bag, clothes and a few other items. Finn packed the holo projector, chips, and recorder, as well as the manifest with the recipes on it. Poe assured him they wouldn't have to cook but it would give him something to do, looking through it and making notes.

As the ship ramp closed behind them, Poe tucked the remote into his pocket with one hand and reached for Finn's with the other.

Finn managed to keep the surprise from his face, covering it with a smile as he squeezed. The street from the spaceport to the hotel was a broad street filled with stalls, not unlike the market they'd been to on their first stop, but both smaller and more specific.

"Don't look too long," Poe told him quietly, a hand on Finn's back as he lead him through the crowd. "It's all tourist stuff, cheap to make, expensive to sell and generally shoddy workmanship," he all but whispered into FInn's ear.

"Okay," Finn found himself almost wanting to pretend he couldn't hear over the din, just so Poe would stay close and repeat what he'd said.

"The only shops even worth looking at are the ones that sell ship parts, and I haven't seen any yet," Poe added as they passed a booth selling rather sorry looking droids and parts, including a small, sadder looking version of BB8.

"Hey," Finn turned his head a little, surprised at how close Poe was. He had to have been close to talk the way he had been but Finn had not seen how close and it took him aback for a second. "That droid looks like BB8, kind of," he said, keeping his own voice quiet, finding he liked the intimate closeness.

"Wow," Poe murmured. "That's one of the originals," he said, giving the droid a more serious look. "I didn't think there were any BB1's left. They predate the R2 units, but they went out of production during the last war, only to start up again a few years back," he whispered the history to Finn.

By silent agreement, they approached the booth, and Finn thought the being wrapped in furs and silk scarfs didn't look quite as shady as some of the others they'd seen. But then, he supposed, it wouldn't do to *look* shady. 

"Can I check out the BB unit?" Poe asked as he crouched.

The pile of furs grunted and a bare green clawed foot came out and gave the BB unit a bit of a kick to wake it. It chirped, slow and deeper than BB8, as if it was taking awhile to come online.

Once its head spun towards the furs, the bundle let out a series of chirps and clicks that Finn couldn't make sense of. A glance at Poe and Finn realized he was looking at the droid, not the vender. Not understanding the slow series of beeps and toots emitted by the droid, Finn just let himself shift a little closer to Poe, tucking his hand into the other man's, recalling they were meant to be married.

Poe squeezed and turned his attention from the droid enough to give Finn a beaming smile. "He says his master will agree to a hundred and sixty credits, owing to him being such a rare and valuable antique." It was subtle, but Finn could pick up the sarcasm in Poe's quietly spoken words. "That's … I can afford that," he whispered, finding he wanted the droid. This vender didn't treat the droid well, and having once been a faceless, nameless automaton of sorts, he felt a kinship with the it.

"Can you … like you did with the holo stuff?" Finn asked. He'd picked up a few things in his brief, recent travels, and decided to practice this married thing. He leaned in a bit, looking into Poe's eyes - and deciding right then that out of all the colors in the galaxy, brown was his favorite. "Please?" He worried he was coming on too strong, being too silly, especially when Poe didn't respond right away.

Finally, Poe grinned and to Finn's shock, leaned forward and kissed his cheek "Of course, sweetheart." he said, so tenderly FInn could almost believe he meant it. Poe's free hand came up to give Finn's cheek a brief stroke. Still holding hand's Poe crouched once again.

What followed was a rapid fire exchange of beeps, clicks, toots, chirps and words. Either the vender couldn't understand Poe directly, or it enjoyed making the droid translate. Feeling awkward, Finn crouched as well, dropping to one knee as Poe often did when talking to his own droid.

Poe finally withdrew his card and it vanished into the pile of furs in the clutches of a green, clawed hand. The card was returned to Poe after a moment and the vendor's foot again gave the droid a kick and a short burst of clicks that seemed rather unfriendly.

Now that the droid was theirs, Finn let himself feel indignation. "Hey, no kicking the droid," he grumbled. The droid actually gave a beep that, to Finn, sounded surprised. As the men straightened, fingers still entwined, the droid rolled forward slowly, only to be stopped by the barrier of bundled fur that marked the edge of the vendors territory. A few weak rolls followed and they realized it couldn't make it over the barrier. Probably why the former owner didn't bother with kindness - the droid couldn't escape.

"Come here, you," Poe gave Finn's hand a squeeze before letting go, then crouching. "Might be faster this way," He said, reaching for the droid, though he waited for a beep before actually lifting it.

"Here you go, first wedding present," Poe said, handing the droid to a surprised Finn, who tucked it easily into his side, cradling it carefully. Following Poe's example, Finn leaned forward and bussed the other man's cheek.

"Come on," Poe said with a grin, ushering him away from the stand. "Let's get to the hotel and you can thank me properly," The words were loud enough that they could well be for the benefit of those around them, but they still made something curl pleasantly in Finn's stomach.

Since Finn had an armful of droid, Poe took his bag as they made it through the tourist market. "My mom had one of those when she was real little," Poe said quietly, leaning close to FInn as they pressed through the crowd. "The problem back there is one reason they fell out of favor for a while. BB8 has hooks to help get up and down, this little guy doesn't seem to have those, or they're non functional."

Finn nodded. "We'll take a look at the hotel, it'll give us something to do," he said with a smile, liking the warm weight of Poe's hand on his back.

Finally the booths and shops melted away and the crowd thinned considerably. To Finn's surprise and pleasure, Poe didn't take advantage of the space to move away from him. He wasn't hunched quite so close, but he didn't take his hand off Finn's back, either.

As they entered the hotel, a dozen possible scenarios flew through Finn's mind. They would be discovered, either as not married or as with the resistance. That the first order had caught up to him at last. That they wouldn't allow droids. That he would somehow embarrass himself or Poe. And as all of this occurred to him, his palms grew damp and he also began to worry about dropping the droid.

Poe moved closer, his hand sliding from the middle of Finn's back, down and round his side. "It'll be alright," He whispered and Finn caught sight of them in the reflective gold of the hotel lobby. They looked like they were sharing a 'moment' and Finn felt that delicious stomach curl again and he did feel himself relax. 

"I know," he said softly. "I'm just … nervous," he said.

"Then let's get checked in, sweetheart," Poe whispered back and gave Finn's cheek another light kiss. Finn had to remind himself that they were in a not empty hotel lobby, no doubt under scrutiny, or he would have taken both the endearment and the kiss to mean more than it was.


	5. Poe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get checked into the hotel and continue the fake-married rouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doing several small chapters today because reasons.

Actually getting checked in took a bit more time and effort than Poe had expected. He'd *anticipated* it of course, but he'd been hoping to avoid it. On the other hand, he thought as he handed over yet another document, it gave him time to get his head back on straight. The trip through the marketplace had been a form of slow, wonderful, death.

He'd known pretending to be married would try him, he'd have to walk the razor's edge of making it look real without showing too much of what he *actually* felt for the other man. He hoped Finn took it all as an act. He seemed to, and Finn was a very quick study in everything else, so he'd figure this out, too. Poe kind of hated that he was counting on Finn figuring out a *lie* so he wouldn't see the truth.

After being rescued, he'd had enough time away from Finn, and enough wartime experience in general, to know his attraction to the other man wasn't borne of misguided gratitude or fight-or-flight reactions. He genuinely *liked* Finn. And more than once he'd envisioned taking the former stormtrooper back to Yavin 4 to meet his father, something he'd never considered doing with others.

But Finn - as Poe was frequently reminded - had very, very little real life experience, and he worried that if he tried to persuade him, he'd ruin what could be so much better if he waited.

But sometimes waiting was very very hard. Made even more difficult by *almost* having what he really wanted. By pretending to have it. All the touches they were sharing, the hand holding, the leaning in, all of that was difficult but bearable.

What almost broke his resolve was that quiet 'please?' as Finn flirted with him. Quick study, alright. The very first time Finn actively played into their act, he just about had Poe on his knees.

As he handed over yet another document, Poe spared a glance at Finn. He had the droid tucked into a cradled arm like a baby and Poe absolutely did not imagine him holding an actual child. And certainly not one with medium brown skin, something between his and Finn's. It wasn't a girl, either.

Finally the documents were handed back along with room keys and a muttered congratulations-please-enjoy-your-stay. 

He shouldered their bags and made his way over to Finn. "Come on, sweetheart," he said, resting a hand on Finn's elbow, wondering how it was so easy to replace 'buddy' with 'sweetheart' - he barely though it, and feared that when this was over, he'd have a hard time switching back.

When Finn smiled at him and shifted that much closer as they walked, Poe forced himself to put it out of his mind. He'd deal with what to do after when after actually came. He was a pilot, he lived in the moment and didn't think about a future he'd probably never have.

He'd debated on getting a honeymoon suite or not. He'd heard stories, how they were all phallic and yonic with an embarrassing array of "helpful" equipment and supplies. When the clerk had given him a suspicious look, he'd opted to get the suite and deal with any embarrassment.

Thankfully, this wasn't the case. The room could easily be described as sumptuous, luxurious even. But it wasn't overtly sexual. Apparently, this hotel believed it was the responsibilities of the newlyweds to bring their own arousal, which was fine by him. He had quite enough of it, and didn't need any help right now.

Finn turned a slow circle, eyeing all the surfaces in the room. "I'm not sure where … I don't speak droid," he said, his expression slightly pleading.

"Binary," Poe corrected as he set their bags on the bed and stepped closer, putting his nerves aside now that he had something to *do.* "Where do you wanna be?" He asked the droid. The following series of beeps made Poe think of his own BB at the end of a charge. 

[ *Ne* Chrg* ]

The beeps were, basically, slurred. "You need a charge?" 

[ *Ye* ]

He gave Finn's shoulder a squeeze "There's gotta be a space around here," he said. He poked around the room, lifting a few panels, finally finding one in the bathroom. "Found one!" He called to Finn. The space was a bit crowded - the large tub took up most of the room. Finn set the droid on the counter near the outlet that Poe found.

A small hatch slid aside and a small arm came out. Poe narrowed his eyes, lips pursing a little at the accumulated dirt on it. On the other hand, the arm was so rusted that the dirt was probably what kept it from disintegrating. He could quickly se it wouldn't fit. As the arm retracted, Poe asked. "Do you have anymore inlets?" He asked the droid. 

[ *No* *N* *mor* ]

"Not anymore? Alright," He looked at Finn. "Maybe they have-" Finn's eyes widened just as something occurred to Poe.

"BB8's station," they said unison, followed by chuckles.

"It had a universal adapter, didn't it?" Finn asked. He'd paid but Poe was the one who'd really understood.

"Yeah. It's in your room, right?" Poe asked.

"Yeah, in your bunk, actually. It wouldn't fit anywhere else, and I didn't want it in the cargo area."

"I'll go get it, order us some room service? You've got a good eye for food, I trust you," Poe gave his elbow a squeeze.

"How do I …"

"Oh, it's like at the restaurant," still holding Finn's elbow - because why let go if he didn't *need* to? He guided him to the control panel for the suite. The projections were sharper than the ones at the restaurant, and the menu was arranged slightly differently, but it functioned about the same. "Everything's added to the room, and the general is paying those expenses so have fun," He assured his friend. It was a bit of a fib - the resistance would cover some of the expenses, Poe himself was covering the rest, but he had plenty of unused credits.

"Ooohh," Finn poked at the menu, quickly figuring out the interface.

Poe let himself watch for a minute, enjoying the way Finn's hands moved, apparently as adept with holo menus as he was with blasters. Snapping himself out of it before Finn noticed him staring, he gave his friend a clap on the back. "Alright, you have fun, I'll be back," he promised.


	6. Finn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn tells his story, sort of.

Finn watched Poe depart, wondering why all of the affection - which they'd shared freely before today - felt different now? Maybe because they were possibly being watched? Or because it mattered now how they looked to other people? Ignoring the menu for a few, he stood and paced the room a little bit, wondering how he'd share the bed with Poe. He sat on it, surprised to find it dip under him. Not much but it was softer than anything he'd ever slept on before. His sleeping space on Starkiller could hardly be called a bed. It was literally a rectangular hole in the wall that he was stuffed into every night after turning in his armor.

The only other two places he'd ever slept were thin mattresses over metal frames - his cot on the resistance base, and his bunk on the ship. He gave a few bounces and then flopped back. He wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep on this, it was just so unlike anything. Recalling their earlier conversation, he resolved not to tell Poe that, he didn't want to upset his friend on his behalf.

Instead, he rolled off the bed and went to his bag. The clothes he left in it, but he took out the holo plate and the cat chip. It was silly, he knew but he found it soothing. Having recently read up on cats a little, he put the plate near the window - allowing the cat to 'sleep' in a sunbeam.

Knowing he might be setting them both up for frustration, he ducked into the bathroom to check on the droid. "You probably heard but we have a charger thing - He's got a droid like you. A later model - BB8, uhm, orange and white, but I think that's custom, it matches his flight suit." 

Finn smiled at the memory of seeing Poe in that flight suit for the first time. The rush of relief and sheer joy that he was *alive* and then he was being hugged, and that felt so good, he felt warm all the way through in a way even Jakku hadn't managed. He'd been very reluctant to pull away when he felt Poe's arms loosening, and since then had savored every single touch from the other man. 

The BB1 unit gave a quiet little beep. "Sorry, I, ah, I don't speak droid-er, Binary," He said apologetically. "I'm trying to learn, though," he added quickly. "We couldn't bring his droid with us, or I'd be getting lessons."

Maybe Finn was just reading too much into it, but the beep that followed sounded very much like a question. The droid even wobbled closer, giving his arm a light bump.

"Basically, Poe's BB8 got kind of … really famous, everyone was looking for him. It's part of how Poe and I met, actually."

He found himself telling the droid his story, the first time he'd had to tell anyone. General Organa already knew from Poe's side, and he hadn't really had a chance to tell anyone else.

He told the droid how he'd been a stormtrooper, and the first time he'd seen Poe was when Poe was being taken prisoner. He hadn't known it at the time, but he'd been under the command of the general's son. The villagers had been rounded up, and Finn had been naive enough to think they would just be … let go. He was a *soldier* not a butcher. In a way, his first real memory, the first actual decision he'd ever made had been to not pull the trigger. It went counter to more than two decades of training.

"I knew I'd be sent for reconditioning," he said and the droid gave a slow, quiet beep that seemed to be its version of "mmm" "But I couldn't. *I* couldn't. And I was … Everything changed, then. The last order I got was Captain Phasma telling me to see her because she caught me without my helmet and knew my blaster wasn't malfunctioning.

"So I found out where they were keeping the resistance pilot, and I had to get him out. I knew what Ren would do. I knew he'd take him - he'd take Poe apart piece by piece, his mind and then his body to get what he wanted. I worked sanitation, I've seen … what he does."

The droid rolled closer to where FInn's arm rested on the counter and he felt a vibration that was remarkably soothing. After a moment, he continued.

"I didn't even think how we'd escape, I just … couldn't leave him in that room. I knew the base, we could have hidden for a while … He knew right away I needed a pilot. He learned to fly a TIE fighter in a matter of minutes," He couldn't keep the awe from his voice and didn't even try.

"We got shot down right after escaping," He said. "He … managed to eject my seat, I don't even know how. I landed a bit away from the crash. When I found it," he swallowed, recalling the horror at the crash. "I found his jacket. Just his jacket. I thought he was … that he'd …" 

Finn felt wetness on his leg and realized suddenly why his eyes felt puffy and itchy. He wiped at his tears, but had no idea how to stop them. In the time following the crash, he'd never had time to properly grieve the loss of … everything. Not Poe. Poe wasn't lost. But everything else … Everything he'd ever known, his entire life. It wasn't much of a life but he knew his place, knew his job, knew what to do every minute of every day.

He curled up on the seat, wishing he knew how to make it stop. The sick feeling in his stomach, the way his head felt swollen and tight all at the same time. Everything ached a little, then a lot and with every sob he just tried to pull himself in tighter. 

He didn't hear the door open. Didn't hear the beeps, unusually fast for the sluggish droid. He wasn't aware of anything except his own pain until he felt a pair of strong hands on his shoulders, and then something broad and warm against his side. 

Finn had never cried before, not properly, but his body knew what to do. He lifted his head, moving just enough to turn into Poe, feeling those arms around him again. Poe smelled like ozone and leather and life and POE. Finn tightened his arms, pressing closer as the tears continued. 

Poe was talking, Finn could feel the breath in his hair, hear the vibrations in Poe's chest, but he couldn't hear over the roaring if his own pulse and tears. He heard a few beeps but they made even less sense.

After a while, thinking Poe would be uncomfortable, Finn tried to relax his arms, to let go and pull his grief back in. He managed to loosen them for a second but they tightened again almost instantly and a new rush of tears came. Poe's hand rubbed up and down Finn's back and he spoke again, the words finally making some sense. "I've got you," and Finn felt a press to his head, realizing dimly that Poe had kissed his hair. He tried to blink away tears, to lift his face, but all he managed was rubbing his face against Poe's shoulder and pressing into his neck, breathing in his scent again.

Finn wasn't aware of the passing of time, but he noticed when he drew back that the room was good deal darker than it had been earlier. "Sorry," he murmured, lifting his head and reluctantly starting to straighten, unable to meet Poe's eyes yet.

"It's okay, buddy," Poe said, concern knitting his brows and tightening the corners of his mouth a little. "Do you wanna tell me what happened? Is everything okay?" He murmured, still holding Finn closely, his voice quiet, as if worried about breaking his friend again.

"I was tell …" He felt himself shake again and dook a deep breath, still clutching Poe. He knew he should be done, he didn't think he *could* cry anymore. "I was telling the droid … why I … how we met," Finn began, his voice quavering a little but he didn't cry again. "And after the crash, when I found your jacket, and thought you were …" And the memory of that smoking wreck set him off again. 

Before Finn himself could even do more than try to blink back a tear or two, Poe pulled him in again. The abrupt movement sent them both off balance. Poe held him with one arm, using the other to moderate their descent until they ended up on the floor. Poe shifted and pulled Finn close again. 

"I've got you, sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here, Finn." The words were like a steady heartbeat and they gave something for Finn to cling to. 

It didn't take nearly so long for Finn to recover this time. "I've never done that before," he said, a little amazed. "Is it supposed to feel good when it's over?" He asked, genuinely confused. "Not good but …" he sighed, not able to fully express it.

"I know what you mean, buddy. A good cry is necessary sometimes. I've had a few myself. The last one was about a day after I woke up on Jakku," he said quietly, eyes meeting FInn's and he could see weight in them. "I felt a little silly at first, crying over a guy I barely met. But you saved my life, and then you were gone," he breathed.

"I wore your jacket on Jakku because it was all I had left of you," Finn admitted. "You're why I left. I just … couldn't. He would've … " He managed to take a few deep breaths and didn't lapse again.

"I saw some of … what he wanted to do," Poe confessed. "I'm glad you got me out. Him finding about BB8 was … painful," and Finn could see the ghosts in Poe's eyes for a moment. "And he wasn't about to just let me go," Poe whispered.

This time it was Finn who started it, leaning and pulling and hugging Poe tight. Neither of them cried, but they both took solace with the other.


	7. Poe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe's side of Finn's upset.

Poe had almost dropped the charging station when he had heard Finn's crying. For a moment he thought maybe he'd hurt himself, but there was something soul aching about those tears, the near-silent sobs of someone so overwhelmed by everything.

*IS*THAT*YOU?*HE'S*BAD!* Poe heard the droid beep almost frantically.

*He*was*talking*then*he*stopped*and*got*wet*and*he's*bad* Poe realized 'bad' was the result of limited vocabulary or understanding the part of the droid.

Seeing Finn in the bathroom, curled up on the toilet, he'd done the only thing he could. He perched quickly on the edge of the tub and drew the former stormtrooper into his arms. "I'm here, Finn," he said. "Whatever happened, it's okay now," he didn't know that, but he was at a loss for what else to say. When he'd had his post-rescue breakdown, it had been in the corner of his room with only emptiness around him. 

Finn turned and clutched at him desperately and Poe's heart broke a little more. He had no idea what had prompted this, but it felt … needed. No one cried like this just because. This was the result of too much everything. So he did what he could, just held Finn, shoving his own feelings down to give his friend what he needed. "I've got you, sweetheart, it'll be okay," he said. Not sure if they were penetrating, he kept up his words of comfort, hoping they helped. He thought he felt Finn relax ever so slightly when he spoke, so maybe it was something.

*Don't*let*go* the droid admonished and Poe gave a brief sad smile. "I won't, kiddo," he promised "Not ever again if I can help it," he added at barely a whisper.

Poe just held his friend, murmuring comfort, keeping up the steady words. He recalled when his mother had died. He'd been eight, and after hearing the words from his father, all he remembered was being curled up in his father's lap. What stood out the most was the gentle vibrations of his father's voice as Poe sat pressed to his chest. "I've got you," He whispered, and pressed a kiss to Finn's hair, rubbing his back gently.

To Poe's surprise, Finn nuzzled closer at that, arms tightening as Poe kept rubbing his back. Finn kept sobbing, then gently weeping into Poe's shoulder, and Poe held him close, wishing he could fix whatever had caused this. He was dimly aware of the room growing darker by degrees as the sun set. 

The droid let out a quiet, inquisitive beep. *Will*he*be*Not*bad?*

"I don't know, kiddo," he murmured, tightening his arms just a bit around Finn, face pressed to his hair.

It was fully dark by the time Finn's body began to lose some of it's tension, and his shoulders stopped shaking. He muttered an apology, keeping his head down, not looking Poe in the eyes.

"It's okay, buddy," he said, actually having to bite back the sweetheart that almost came out, thinking at the last second that might be what had set him off. "Do you wanna tell me what happened? Is everything okay?" He kept his arms around Finn, unable to bring himself to let go just yet.

In broken sentences, Finn told him. His eyes were momentarily dry but there was a quiver to his voice, and Poe could read the ghosts in his eyes and in his broken sentences. He saw the instant memory overwhelmed his friend once more and pulled him close, worried that Finn would try to stoic it out after

He pulled too quickly, Finn's sudden weight tipping him back, then forward off the edge of the tub. One arm gripped Finn, refusing to let him go, the other braced them on the wall so they slid rather than fell to the floor. Once there, he straightened his knees and pulled Finn into his arms once more, refusing to let anything come between them right now.

"I've got you, sweetheart," he murmured. He'd managed not to once, but he couldn't stop the sweetheart this time, and didn't really want to. Finn's tears were getting Poe just as ragged in his own way. "I'm not going anywhere," he said with a flick up to the droid who let out a satisfied little trill. "I'm right here, Finn," he said, keeping the words quiet and steady, recalling how he'd clung to his father's voice, if not his words.

It wasn't long after this time that Finn drew back. "I've never done that," and Poe nodded, noting the surprised tone. "Is it supposed to feel good when it's over?" Finn asked, brow furrowed. "Not good but …"

Poe nodded. "I know what you mean, buddy," he gave himself an internal cheer for not messing it up this time. He assured Finn that it wasn't bad, even necessary sometimes. "I've had a few myself," he admitted softly. Finn moved just enough and their eyes met. "Last one was about a day after I woke up on Jakku, right after I got back to base," he said quietly. "I felt a little silly, crying over a guy I barely met," It sounded sappy when he put it that way, but it was true, and he tried to explain what he really meant before he ruined things. "But you saved my life, and then you were gone. He drew in a breath, far more shaky than it had any right to be.

"I wore your jacket on Jakku because it was all I had left of you." Poe felt himself get a little choked at those words. "You're why I left. I just couldn't .. He would've …" While Finn got himself under control, Poe's own mind whirled with memory.

"I saw some of-" He had to swallow before he could continue. "what he wanted to do," he breathed. "I'm glad you got me out. Him finding out about BB8 was … painful." He went a little pale at the remembered psychic pain. 

Poe was surprised when Finn pressed closer and he tightened his own arms again. There were no tears, now, but Poe felt like a weight had been lifted.


	8. Finn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys tucking in their new droid.

It was a quiet but high pitched beep from the droid that finally drew the two men apart. "Battery's at critical," Poe said, recognizing it. "That's one thing that hasn't changed, BB8's is exactly the same." They drew apart, Finn standing, pulling Poe to his feet.

The space was suddenly uncomfortably tight and Finn was aware of just how closely they'd been pressed and to his embarrassment, he wanted more, though not quite so … fraught. "Where's the station?" He asked, deciding that taking care of the droid might help restore some balance to … whatever they had now. He couldn't escape the memory of that whispered sweetheart and knew it would be taking part in his dreams soon.

"I put it on the dresser," Poe said, brushing the invisible dust off his pants and hands. "I'll get it," he hesitated a second, then gave Finn's shoulder a squeeze before ducking out of the bathroom.

"Does it have to be plugged in here?" Finn called, eyeing the droid. 

"No, the cord is long, the station can go anywhere in the room."

"Alright. Come here, you," Finn said gently. When the droid gave a weak wobble in his direction, he took that as permission.

Finn kept the droid tucked to his chest in both arms, the 'head' lolling back against his shoulder. A red light was slowly blinking, indicating critical battery.

They debated for a little while where to best place the droid. Poe wanted the corner by the bed - the place BB8 had in his own room. But Finn couldn't see it there, and found right now, he didn't want any of his friends out of his sight. "The window next to the cat," he said, nodding to the holo.

"The ca-Oh!" Poe smiled, the first one Finn had seen since he'd left. "Hey, that's neat," he said as he approached it. 

They fussed over the spot for a minute, moving the cat - "Just a little, keep it where the sun can get it," Finn felt a flush of embarrassment. "I know it's just a holo, but-"

"Hey, it's good," Poe said quickly. "I had a stuffed wookie when I was a kid," he explained as he rearranged things, clearing a space for the station and keeping the holo cat near the window. When Finn gave a nod of approval, he began setting up the station and continued his story. "I treated it like a real person, as much a as a four year old can. I tucked him in at night, dad even made him breakfast every morning. When I go home, Dad still takes him off the shelf and sits him down with us when we have breakfast," Poe smiled at the memory, and Finn smiled at Poe's smile.

"Your dad seems … like a good guy."

"You'll like him," Poe said almost absently, focusing on the station. Finally he got it plugged in and the lights flashed blue twice, then cycled around the edge before a green light came on steadily near the front.

Finn was taken aback at Poe's words, wondering if they were intentional. As if he was just … assuming Finn would meet his dad. LIke it was a given that it would happen, him being in Poe's life that long, and that much. He took a steadying breath and focused on the droid in his arms. "So how do we work this?" He asked, stepping closer, brushing shoulders lightly with Poe.

"Well, with BB8, just being inside here," he indicated the concave bowl at the center, that the lights were arranged around. "Would be good enough, but I don't know if the older models work that way. Try it?" He asked, his hand resting on Finn's back.

Not wanting to pull away from the touch, Finn nodded, and carefully shifted the droid from cuddled to cradled in his hands. A pair of weak, slow beeps and an almost inaudible click from the droid had Poe biting his lips, eyes dancing a bit. Finn ignored it and carefully set the droid in the station. At first, nothing happened. Then the green light flashed red, the blue lights made another circuit of the edge of the bowl. The green light came on again, and near the top, a strip of black showed. At the far end of the strip was the faintest sliver of deep, warning red.

"It works," Poe said, clearly relieved. 

"What did those beeps mean?" Finn asked, now that he wasn't worried about his droid.

" 'Don't drop me' " Poe translated and Finn turned a mock glare at the droid. "Cheeky," he finally said and that seemed to break the last of the tension in the room, both men breathing deep after.


	9. Poe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some cutness. And droids ship it.

After the droid was settled, Finn asked if he could have first shower while Poe ordered dinner. Finn apologized for not having done it.

"It's fine, you had something a lot more important going on," Poe assured him. "And I think you needed it, especially if you've never done it before," he added. "Go grab a shower, I'll order for us." 

Finn grabbed his bag and ducked into the bathroom, pulling the door closed. Poe looked over the menu and quickly ordered a variety of things, making sure Finn got an array of flavors and textures to experience. He even ordered several desserts, noting that each of them was sized for two, clearly meant to be shared. While neither was especially tall, neither were they slightly built - they could conceivably put away this much food, especially if they planned to be working it off just as fast as they took it in. Poe flushed a bit at that notion as he placed the final order. He told himself what ever they didn't eat, they could take with them for later.

He stood and stretched, moving over to check on the droid, them smiled at the sleeping cat. At first he thought it was static, then he saw the ear twitch and noted the breathing. A few people on base had pets, he wondered if Finn would prefer a real cat.

Watching the holo, he recalled finding the blank one on the floor of Finn's room and fished it from his pocket. Turning it over, he saw the slight discoloration on part of the chip that meant it had been recorded. It was a reusable type, and he was curious what was on it. He hesitated a moment before switching the cat off. It was awkward reaching around the charge station, so he compromised. When he took the cat chip out, he left it where the display had been - keeping the cat "itself" where the sun could reach it in the morning.

Unlacing his boots, he set the display on the dresser. Amatour recordings always took longer to buffer and display than professional ones. By the time it popped into view, Poe had his boots off. Without looking properly, Poe grabbed the display and sat at the foot of the bed, legs folded up.

He blinked when he realized what the holo was *of.* The ship they'd been on for a week. The ship Poe was increasingly thinking of as 'their' ship.

Pinching out to zoom in, Poe could make out very faint artifacts and realized Finn had actually managed to mesh two recordings. The trees and metal walls matched their second landing, but the savannah of the rest was consistent with their first landing. He kept manipulating the image, turning and zooming in, seeing more splice bits. It took a sharp eye and a steady hand to blend recordings like this without a droid or computer to help. And the computer on their ship wasn't up to this level of work.

"Oh," Finn's voice snapped Poe out of his study of the ship holo. "I thought I left that on the ship," Finn said, stepping out of the bathroom in just a towel.

Had Poe been at it that long? Or did Finn take very fast showers? A glance at the clock and he knew it was the former. "I saw it on the floor, thought you might've dropped it. When I saw that it was recorded on, I wondered if it was an old recording." He set it on the dresser in front of him. "You did a really good job," he smiled.

"Thanks," Finn rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I was thinking you liked ships. I know it's just one step up from a, uhm, a puddle jumper, but … it was something to do, to get used to the equipment," he said.

Poe found himself slightly distracted by the sight of Finn's broad chest, visible for the first time. And he picked out a few long faded scars, starkly light on his dark skin, evidence of his brutal childhood and training. He just barely stopped from licking his lips. "Lovely … job. You combined two different recordings on the fly, that takes very steady hands," he said, hoping his slip wasn't obvious.

Finn's face darkened a bit and he ducked his head with a smile. "How can you tell I did two recordings?" He found himself asking, and Poe recognized that 'want to learn' light he saw so often, both in Finn and in his pilot trainees.

Poe opened his mouth to explain, just as Finn let the towel fall, turning to pick up a pair of soft sleep pants. Poe snapped his eyes away, wondering how the hell a stormtrooper had so little body modesty. A part of Poe almost wished he *had* developed it, then he wouldn't be tormenting Poe right now. "There's artifacts in the background," He finally said, only able to speak when Finn's deliciously round ass was covered up. "Come here and I'll show you," He patted the bed, shifting over a little to make more room, though the room was plenty wide enough.

Finn tucked onto the bed, matching Poe's seated position, leaning close. Poe enjoyed Finn's freshly washed scent as he began to speak. Finn's hand came up under Poe's, adjusting the angle slightly so he could see what Poe meant. Poe hoped the hitch in his breath wasn't obvious at that faint contact. He touched Finn often enough, but it still felt special when Finn touched him, even something casual like this.

They were still leaned close, talking softly and manipulating the holo when the door chimed. It actually took Poe a second to recall the room service. He pushed the holo into Finn's hands as he stood to get the door. The heavily laden hover tray was pushed in by a droid. Once it was placed, the droid turned and slid out on rollers like R2-D2. 

*[ Have fun, he's a pretty one. And burn his shirts, you'll thank me later. ]* 

Poe's face went bright red and he wished he didn't know binary. A series of gentle, almost musical beeps from the charging station had him glaring at the BB1 unit.

"What did the droid say?" Finn asked, looking confusedly between Poe and the droid.

"BB1 was laughing," Poe explained, starting to transfer plates from the hover tray to the table. There was only room for a few so he arranged everything for a kind of buffet effect.

"And what did the *other* one say?" Finn asked as he stood, looking like a mixture of shy and pleased that really had no right looking that appealing.

Poe was glad, now that Finn *didn't* speak Binary, but he knew he was a lousy liar. So he stuck to the only kind of lie he could get away with. Omission. "Said I should burn your shirts," he mumbled. "Have a seat," he added quickly, hoping to distract him with food.

"That was a lot of beeps for 'burn his shirts,'" Finn said thoughtfully, and BB1, who was apparently feeling a lot better, emitted a rapid fire series of chirps.

*[* He likes you don't lie you aren't trying to sell him something broken *]* and Poe actually felt admonished by a droid. He couldn't *speak* binary so he couldn't say what he wanted to the droid, and instead just glared. "Don't make me put you in the bathroom," he grumped as he sat down. Finn still had no shirt on and Poe wasn't about to remind him of it, guilty as he felt ogling his friend.

At the droid's indigent whistle, Finn spoke up. "Don't worry, he's not putting you in the bathroom," he assured the droid.

"Finn!" Poe scolded, but his smile softened it, he hoped. "We have to show the droid a united front or they turn out spoiled," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh," Finn looked quiet for a second and Poe worried he took the scolding to heart. Then perked up, eyes turning impish. "So *that's* what happened to BB8!" He said cheerfully.

Poe flicked a pea at him and tried to scowl as the droid behind him trilled with laughter and Finn chuckled. Despite his put-upon sigh, Poe hadn't been this content in a long time.

It wouldn't do to focus on just how long.


	10. Finn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn learns about being ticklish.

After eating, Poe went to take his own shower. On the ship, they had talked about watching something, or playing another game, but Finn was just too drained from earlier for either. He sat on the edge of the bed farthest from the window, giving another bounce. It was so soft. 

When he lay down, he did as he had always done. On his side, the arm under him bent just so as to not cut off the circulation. His other arm straight along his side. Legs and back straight, head on the corner of a pillow - all he was used to having. In his cot at the base and his bunk on the ship he slept like this, the only difference being he propped himself against the far wall in both cases, just as he'd done as a Stormtrooper. This bed was in the center of the room with no wall to lean on. So he just closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

Finn must have fallen asleep without being fully aware of the transition, because he woke suddenly to a deeply unfamiliar sensation. He quickly realized it was Poe getting into bed behind him, and that the room was almost pitch black. The bed dipped slightly behind him with the other man's weight, but not enough to make Finn have to adjust. Then Poe shifted again, closer to Finn and the dip in the mattress had him leaning to compensate.

"They really made you sleep like that?" Poe asked, the lack of light in the room somehow making his voice fill the space more, though he spoke quietly.

"Mm. Usually I have my back to a wall, I'll manage, though," he said. He was facing the wall now because it had at least made the space feel a bit smaller.

"Have you … can you sleep any other way?"

"Haven't tried. Don't think I could," he admitted.

"At least get under the covers?"

Finn had forgotten about that and he was glad of the darkness, both of his skin and the room, covering his blush of embarrassment. "Right, yeah," He rolled off the bed, then lifted the blanket, moving under it and laying exactly as he had been.

Except now he was more sharply aware of Poe. They were no closer, but under the blanket he could feel the man's gentle heat. 

Poe let out a slow sigh that Finn couldn't interpret, and finally spoke. "Sleep well, Finn," there could have been a faint note of sadness.

"You too, Poe," he responded, realizing he'd never made that exchange before, nor anything like it. He decided not to mention it to Poe.

The bed behind him wiggled and jostled for a moment, and Poe's heat felt slightly closer before he settled. Finn found himself awake until Poe's breathing evened out and Finn heard the slightest of rumbles from the other man. He clapped his hand to his mouth to keep from laughing aloud. Poe Dameron, greatest pilot in the resistance, and possibly the galaxy, snored. It was faint, but unmistakable.

Finn snapped awake with a sudden spasm, unaware of falling asleep. A glance at the dim clock in the room confirmed it had only been about two hours since they stopped eating. He realized he was tilting dangerously forward and that must've been what woke him, his body alerting him to the danger of falling. 

Not wanting to risk falling out of bed, Finn wiggled back a little, trying not to disturb the bed too much and wake Poe. He stopped and stilled when he felt a warm hand on his bare back. "You okay, buddy?" The hand slid to Finn's shoulder. Poe's voice was deeper than usual and a bit slurred with sleep.

"Yeah, I … almost fell out of bed. Sorry."

"Don' be sorry," Poe said a bit more clearly. "Try lying back," 

Poe's hand moved to the front of his shoulder and gave a little tug. Finn instinctively resisted and Poe's hand moved. Light, callused fingers brushed down Finn's arm, then under and Finn laughed suddenly, clapping his hand over his mouth to stifle the sound.

The hand stopped suddenly, then brushed against Finn's skin again, causing him to stifle more laughter, not sure why - usually being touched was nice, but it didn't make him want to laugh. He felt a sudden furnace almost against his back and the increasingly familiar feel of Poe's head close to his ear. "You're ticklish," Poe said with what could only be called glee. HIs fingers wiggled again and Finn tightened his arm, trapping Poe's hand against his skin, keeping the fingers still as he laughed, quietly, but he lifted his hand away.

"I've never … I didn't think you could make someone laugh just … by touching them," Finn said in slight awe. He knew laughing was good, he liked it. Loved when he could make others do it. Curious now, he leaned back a little, and gave an unseen pout when the furnace behind him moved away to give him room. He was soon on his side again, this time facing poe in the darkness. "Are you?"

"Oh, I'm not telling," Poe said with a laugh. His hand had somehow returned to Finn's skin, resting on his shoulder again.

"Mmm. That's not fair. You know where I'm ticklish," Finn protested, not thinking there'd be more than one place.

There was a long pause, and Finn wished he could read the other man, but even stormtroopers only had human eyes, and the droid's station was the only light in the room, and it was faint.

"It's no fun if I just tell you," Poe finally said, very quietly.

Hoping he was guessing right, Finn's hand moved out slowly. It had drifted closer to the bed and when he felt his fingers brush Poe's skin, he realized two things. It was *skin* - poe was shirtless like he was. And that it was closer to the center of his chest. The muscle was firm under the soft warm skin.

Following Poe's example, Finn used his hand to explore. Fingers spread, his hand flattening on Poe's chest and he heard his breath hitch. "This okay?"

"Yeah, buddy. This is fine," he said but Finn heard a slight strain. He went to draw his hand back. Poe's hand bumped his elbow, then slid quickly along to his hand and pressed it against his chest. Finn became aware, then, of the speed of Poe's heartbeat under his palm. "It's fine," Poe repeated, voice a bit more firm. He slowly lifted his hand and Finn left his where it was. Poe's hand moved back to Finn's, brushing his ribs again, just firmly enough not to tickle, and rested at the slight dip of Poe's waist.

Some part of Finn's growing awareness of the world said this wasn't what was meant to be happening, this wasn't a 'buddy' thing, but between Poe's approval and Finn's own growing skin hunger, he firmly closed the door on those thoughts.

His fingers explored slowly, seeking a spot that would make Poe laugh. He could hear their breathing in the dark as his fingers moved slowly across Poe's chest. His fingers grazed a slight bump and soon realized it was a scar. He was unaware his touch was lingering until Poe spoke.

"My first crash when I was ten," he practically whispered into the dark. "They had to replace two ribs," Poe guided Finn's hands, brushing against the ribs in question. "Here."

Finn splayed his hand over the spot, his palm resting flush against Poe's side, feeling the rise and fall of his breath. He felt like something was hovering just out of reach. Something he was meant to do or wanted to do but he couldn't decide what. He knew he wanted to touch Poe, so he did. His hand slid over his chest, and Poe's breath hitched, then stopped entirely when Finn brushed his nipple. Moving away, he edged his hand closer to Poe's waist. His touch lightened, recalling the whisper light touches that set him off. 

He was awarded a moment later with a burst of laughter and a sudden wiggle from Poe. He grinned in triumph even as he repeated the gesture, prompting another laugh from Poe. Then Poe's hand on his wrist, pressing it flush to his skin and stopping the tickling. "Okay now we're even," he said breathlessly.

"Yeah," Finn agreed. The silence stretched and Finn spoke again to break it. "I like this," he whispered, his thumb brushing Poe's skin. He wanted Poe's hand back on his waist, and as if he could hear the thought, Poe put it back there.

"I like it too, Finn," Poe murmured in the darkness. "I like touching you," he said it like there was more to come, but he stopped there.

"We should probably try to sleep now," Finn murmured when he felt his eyelids growing heavy again.

"Yeah. Finn?"

"Mmm?"

"You want to lean on something, against your back when you sleep, right?"

"Yeah, but it's fine."

"Roll over. Like you were before but closer to me,"

Not worried about waking Poe, Finn shifted position quickly, rolling over in place. He sucked in a sudden breath when he felt Poe's bare chest against his back. "Relax, Finn," came the enticing whisper in Finn's ear and he slowly obeyed.

Gradually, he relaxed and with a series of slight adjustments, the two men were lying comfortably. Poe's arm was around his waist, Poe's chest flush against Finn's back, and Finn didn't notice the contact ended at the waist. Almost without realizing it, Finn relaxed to the point that he was leaning against Poe, their bodies pressed together from shoulder to waist. "I've got you," Poe whispered, his voice soft and the words drawn out sleepily. Before Finn could get his brain in gear enough to respond, Poe was asleep, his breath slow and even against Finn's back.

It took him far longer to fall asleep, but for the first time in a long time, the waiting wasn't tortuous, and he almost wanted to fight the heavy sensation of sleepiness so he could feel more of this.


	11. Leia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe's been sending updates back home, the General is getting caught up on them.

While the boys slept peacefully, the general did not.

She leaned back in her chair, thinking over the report she'd received earlier from Poe Dameron. Less a report and more a series of log entries detailing their mission thus far. He'd been compiling it since leaving and had sent it off at the first opportunity, finally at a planet with enough background traffic to hide the message beaming out to Resistance space.

It didn't take five minutes into the first recording when she heard a chirp by the door. Turning, she laughed softly. "Heard his voice, did you?" She turned the screen so the droid could see Poe, backed by a grey wall and part of an open doorway.

*[* Worried again from before *]* BB8 shot out a grappling hook, and another, working up the series of shelves Leia had installed for similar purposes, wanting the droids to have freedom to access everything organics could.

"Well as you can see, he's alive and looking very well," she assured him and tapped play again.

"-Market. We did a little shopping, partly for cover and partly because-" he turned, glancing down the hall and then leaned closer to the camera. "Finns' never been. He was like a kid in a … well, no. Kids in candy stores know what candy is," Leia didn't miss the sadness in her friend's face. "He's never had sweetair. How do you get to be his age and never have … The first order has a lot to answer for, General," he finally said.

"Yes, they do," she agreed softly as the rest of the report played. Poe gave them an update on their supplies. With the destruction of the Hosnian system, they were scrambling to find sources for food and revenue. Poe had gotten them a good, continuing deal on ship parts, and from what he'd said, a line on a few possible food arrangements.

*[* Does Finn make him sad? *]* the droid asked when Poe once again lamented what it seemed Finn had missed out on.

"No," the general shook her head. "No, Finn doesn't make him sad. Finn used to be a stormtrooper. They," she cocked her head at the droid, putting what had been done to Finn terms the droid could understand "They reprogrammed him so all he could do was fight. But he broke away from that. Reprogrammed *himself* but he still doesn't have a lot of the standard protocols."

The droid trilled in understanding, and they went to the next entry.

"Thought you might want to know we won't be living on protein packs and whatever we can find planetside," Poe said, in a different shirt and a smile. "Finn's decided to put the galley to good use. His first effort is better than mine, I'm sure you remember, General," he said. "I understand my father still gets a reminder every year that I'm not allowed to cook anywhere on Yavin 4 or allied planets,"

"So he reminds me every year, brat," she muttered affectionately, eliciting an alarmed chirp from the droid. 

"Oh, we'll be making planet fall at Kaftan 8 in about ten days if we keep on schedule. Can you have a package there for me? Finn got a new holo display pad and only a few chips for it. BB8 knows where my stash is, just have all of them packed up, if you could, General. I'll check back in after I make contact tonight. Dameron out."

*[* I know where ALL his chips are *]* the droid informed her carefully.

Leia couldn't help a slight smirk. Poe was a decent man but he was also a *single* man in the middle of a war zone. She had no doubt what at least some of those holos contained. She'd been known to watch a few herself on especially lonely days. "Well, he did say *all* of them," she said, wondering if Poe knew what he'd be getting.

She'd also add a few things herself. Finn might not be but Poe would be missing home. She'd send a few things for Finn, as well. She knew it wasn't 'professional' but especially in the wake of Ben's behavior, she looked on Poe Dameron more and more as a son. Or at the very least, a nephew. Having changed his diaper several times had that effect.

She shook off the memories and began the next recording. Poe was in a rather nice looking shirt - one of his better ones if she recalled. The last time she'd seen him in it, actually, he'd been going on a date with Gold Squadron leader. Interesting.

"We had dinner at Joyjoy's while we waited for Meadow," he explained. "He's really taken to this cooking thing. I got him a small stock of ingredients and a recipe book. I won't add it to the expense list, I promise, I paid with my own credits," he added quickly. He outlined the deal they'd made, then segued back to the restaurant. "We got seated next to a big group, right before some of them got engaged," He sounded almost wistful. "Finn didn't ... I had to explain what it was all about. They gave us a copy of the pictures they had me take," he chuckled. "There's a little holo frame in the wall of Finn's room and he's got one of the pictures up already," he said proudly.

"Look," he said, his face turning sad and serious. "He's never had … he didn't even *know* what a vacation was, Aunt Leia," he said, rubbing a hand over his face, one elbow leaning heavily on the console. The fact that he called her Aunt Leia spoke to his level of distress on Finn's behalf. Everyone knew his mother had once been her personal pilot, and inferred that they knew each other, but when he'd defected from the Republic, they'd sat down and agreed to keep it professional in public.

The next one was very short, and featured a very irritated Poe rubbing at his eye. He had taken off his shirt from earlier and just had a soft t-shirt. He looked a bit world-weary at the moment. "Apparently, stormtroopers don't actually *eat*, Auntie," Leia could make out the tension in his face and body as he spoke. " 'protein drinks and nutrient pills' " he said slowly, enunciating and clearly quoting. He'd managed to fit a lot of seething rage into those five quietly spoken words. 

The cockpit was darker than usual, in this recording, night, ship time then. And if Leia knew his mother, Poe had been sleeping in the cockpit. Backed up by the steep recline she could see on the back of his chair right now. He turned and looked down the hall for several minutes, and Leia recalled the ship layout - he was looking at the door to the crew quarters. Finn's room, now, by the looks of it. Finally he let out a quiet, weary sigh before jabbing the recorder off.

Leia had to stop watching for a while, going for a walk around the airfield, taking comfort in the smell of it all. She'd never seen Poe this worked up over anyonr, certainly not a mere friend. And he'd sworn up and down that Finn was just a friend, someone who'd saved his life. He'd assured her he didn't have any misplaced feelings because of that. But she'd heard the murmurs about that day on the airfield. At the time, she'd been focused on her husband, but others had seen. Seen Poe's face when he saw BB8 again. Then saw Poe's face when he realized *FINN* was alive. The Finn he'd talked a great deal about since returning.

Her de facto nephew either was lying to her about his feelings, or hadn't yet realized he was very much in love with Finn. And Poe was a lousy liar, especially to her. 

When it grew dark, she returned to her office. BB8 had returned as well, a box of holo chips on the desk. With a warm drink and a sandwich, she started the next video. 

"Unfortunately, General, our next stop is Miranda 7," Poe said a bit grimly. "I'd rather not, they're a bit old republic for my tastes. Finn and I are obviously not related so we'd need a cover story, and business associates isn't good enough. On the other hand, if this goes well, it should take care of our fuel supply for the next five years, if the war lasts that long," he added sadly.

Leia closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer that it wouldn't. But then, she'd been fighting some version of this very war since she was barely old enough to walk. And taking an active part for over forty years. 

"Oh, and uhm, Finn picked a last name, and I promise, Genaral I had nothing to do with it," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, looking shy but pleased. "Finn Dameron. It was his idea, but …" He glanced back, checking that Finn couldn't overhear. "I kind of like it a lot," he said quietly. "I suggested that since Finn kind of came from his old life - FN-2187, and his last name should be something from his new life, and he suggested Dameron, because," and Poe's face went soft and red at the same time "He said I was why he broke away from the first order," and Leia could see the awe on his face. She'd already planned to edit these reports before showing them to anyone, but she was definitely keeping copies of the originals as well.

She needed something to embarrass them with in front of their grandchildren.

"I refuse to have anything to do with his middle name, just that it needs to be something important to him. I told him mine and why, to kind of help, I guess. I'll send a more official report once he's picked, if you could have someone get him the paperwork. Right now I think he feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. Not First Order, not Republic. I mean he's with us but we're not exactly a sovereign government with passports and citizenship cards."

"Maybe we should be," Leia murmured, brushing the crumbs of her sandwich off her hands.

"Okay, now I have to go pretend Finn and I are married for two days." And he snapped the recording off.

Leia was glad no one could hear the inelegant snort of laughter at Poe's solution to Miranda's hyper conservatism.

There was one more and Leia found herself deeply curious. She'd never really indulged in holodramas but this was starting to feel like one.

"So Finn bought a droid." 

At BB8's chirp of indignation, Leia reached a hand to soothe the droid. "You're still his favorite, I'm sure," she said as Poe continued.

"Well, I did because he said please. He's, uhm, taking to this playing married thing alarmingly well.”

Poe wasn't sitting down and as he spoke, he was checking over a BB charging station, used but high quality from what she could see. "It's one of the first BB units, I mean, when she was a girl, mom had a BB3, and this is a BB1! So old, the outlet in the hotel room isn't any good." It wasn't until she saw him check the same port three times that she realized just how flustered Poe was. He looked alternately giddy and distressed and she wondered how Finn had done that in a matter of hours. "Anyway, he's ordering dinner, we had gotten this for my little guy. Finn actually got it for him. But it's the only way we have to charge Finn's unit, now. And actually, I think he should have more ports but he's so old and hasn't been well maintained at *all*, we'll have to do some parts shopping when we can."

Leia found herself soothing the droid for a moment, pausing the video. 

*[* He has A new droid and Finn *]* BB8 wailed.

"No, he's still got you. I remember the older models, this is more like your grandmother, not competition. I'll remind him to make sure he doesn't forget his firstborn, okay?"

The soft beep had no real translation and the droid rolled closer in a remarkably feline gesture, head sliding close and butting against Leia's arm. 

*[* If he doesn't want me can I go live with RD-D2? *]* her droids name was spoken with as close to reverence as one could manage with a whistle.

"In the highly unlikely event that that's the case, you can come live with *me* and R2, okay?"

She got another headbutt for that and resumed the video. 

"Oh and I know the expense report is gonna be hefty, but I'm covering a lot of it out of my own pocket, so I'm not trying to bilk the resistance," He said, giving the camera his winning smile. "Okay, gotta go get the grand old lady charged up," he said, finally switching off.

"You know what I bet he'd love?" Leia turned to the bot. "If you helped pick out some of the stuff to send to the BB1 unit. As old as it is, it'll need almost an entire refit. And updated protocols ...." 

Even she couldn't follow the entirety of BB8's clicks and beeps as he perked up. He was throwing out specs, naming parts she didn't recognize, but she did make out the last one.

*[* PAINT Lots of Paint *]* she winced when the droid, in its excitement, thunked directly from the desk onto the floor. 

*[* Finn likes color there's an L2 unit with color change paint I'll go see him and get some so Finn can have ALL THE COLORS *]* as he beeped he rolled out, then stopped and rolled back, head poking back into the door.

*[* Have you SEEN what he did to his room? *]*

"Yes I have, and … I actually like it. He's certainly embracing this new life."

BB8 rolled back into the room fully, head cocked at an almost shy angle. 

*[* It's not all Done Can I finish It for Him? *]*

Okay, so Finn had managed to charm *two* hearts. Because jealous or not, BB8 was apparently very fond of the ex stormtrooper. Maybe three, she had a weakness for anyone who made her family happy and Poe was certainly family.

"I think he'd love it. If you get it done before we send off his package, maybe you can send him some pictures."

Another burst of excited beeps followed him out of the room.

Leia filed away the originals, and then began to trim it down into something that could be shown to the others without *completely* mortifying the pilot.

It took a few hours and left her with not quite five minutes of material.


	12. Poe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe needs a very, very cold shower.

When Poe first woke, He thought he was still dreaming. He was spooned behind Finn, bodies pressed together from shoulder to knee. His arm was around Finn's side, hand pressed lightly against his chest, and his face had been nuzzled against Finn's neck. 

Finn's unique smell was filling his head and it took a moment to get his thoughts together enough to focus. Once he did, he could tell that Finn was still asleep. The chest under his hand was rising in a slow, steady pace of sleep. His heartbeat was steady as well, no little telltale stutters of feigned sleep. Poe felt guilty but he let himself stay just where he was for a few minutes, savoring the feel of Finn in his arms.

When he'd suggested Finn lean against him last night, it had been as selfish as it had been generous. Finn was used to leaning his back on something when he slept, and Poe himself was the easiest solution. The fact that he rather desperately wanted any excuse to have the other man closer without upsetting him was just a bonus.

To his embarrassment, Poe became increasingly aware of a particular consequence of his suggestion. When he'd fallen asleep, he'd taken care to keep his hips a bit back from Finn, knowing what the closeness would do. What it *had* been doing, even last night. It was only sheer exhaustion, and years of practice, that allowed him to fall asleep in that condition. He didn't think Finn would appreciate waking up to Poe's erection nestled against his ass.

Now he was very much awake, very much snuggled against Finn's broad, firm body, and enjoying it far more than he had any right to. Swallowing quietly, he began to ease back, deciding that if Finn woke, he'd say he was going to the bathroom, which wasn't untrue. His ears strained for any change in Finn's breathing, Poe began to withdraw his arm from around the other man.

When he realized Finn was holding Poe's arm to his chest, he felt a bit foolish for not having noticed earlier. His pulse sped up a little and he smiled, letting himself feel for just a moment that Finn wanted him there, coiled around him just as much as Poe wanted to be there. He leaned his head forward, not quite touching Finn but hovering, taking in his scent, ignoring the curl of guilt that said he was taking advantage of his friend.

Poe's heart stopped when Finn moved. He shifted just a little, his fingers around Poe's hand tightened and he drew it up higher on his chest, as if cuddling him closer.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, Poe knew he had to extract himself before he ruined things between them. Worried Finn would be upset if he woke to find Poe curled around him like this, he carefully redoubled his efforts to extract himself.

Ultimately, aside from a small whine from Finn, Poe managed it without disturbing him. Easing off the bed, he made a quiet dash for the bathroom, only barely managing not to slam the door before he leaned against it, drawing in gulping breaths to steady himself.

Once he'd calmed himself, he leaned against the sink, looking at his sleep-mussed reflection in the mirror, one side of his face still showing the wrinkles of the pillow under his head. "You are absolutely screwed, Dameron," he said quietly, pushing a hand through his curls. With little else to do, he opted for a shower. A blisteringly cold one that had the desired effect.

With a towel around his hips, Poe emerged from the bathroom, planning to check on the droid. Finn was still asleep, but he'd rolled over after Poe's departure. Rolled over and managed to clutch Poe's pillow into his arms, face pressed into it as he held it to his chest, still apparently deep asleep.

"Kriff," he swore under his breath, allowing himself to just watch Finn sleep for a moment or ten.


	13. Finn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up and leaving the hotel.

It was a quiet zapping sound that ultimately drew Finn out of his twilight haze. The zap was accompanied by a hiss and when Finn's eyes fluttered open, he had to stop breathing for a moment.

Poe was on the floor, leaning against the wall with the BB unit beside him. He had on black slacks, loosely tied black boots, a grey undershirt and a black overshirt, sleeves pushed up. He had the side of his finger tucked into his mouth and the droid was beeping very softly, head lowered a bit.

There was something immensely appealing about the sight, and Finn decided he was going to watch as long as he could. Poe's gaze was fixed on the droid and he hadn't seemed to notice Finn was awake yet. Though the only change on Finn's part was his eyes were now open, most of him was hidden under the covers or behind the pillow he held onto like a life raft.

"Sorry," Poe whispered to the bot. "They didn't take care of you at all, did they, little guy?" He said. "You're held together by static and grime and sheer stubbornness, I suspect." Even Finn could recognize the affection in his voice. He watched with keen interest as Poe's hands again reached for the droid, very carefully probing the dents and bumps on the surface. The more he watched, the more Finn decided he really liked Poe's hands. 

Face mostly hidden, he smiled into the pillow that smelled like Poe and recalled his dream. He'd fallen asleep using Poe as his wall, back to his chest, Poe's arm around his waist. And Poe had pressed closer, arm holding him like Finn belonged there. Finn had felt warm and protected and safe and a dozen other things he had no names for because he'd never experienced them. He had Poe's smell in his head and it felt so *real* that it wasn't until he woke holding the pillow that he knew it had to have been a dream.

Poe was a friend, just a friend, who called him Buddy most of the time, Finn sometimes, and sweetheart only when they were playing happy families. Usually? He thought he recalled hearing it a few times last night, when absolutely no one was listening, but he decided they were artifacts from his dream as well. He was feeling strongly for Poe, not having proper names for most of what the pilot made him feel.

"... get you fixed up for Master Finn," Poe was whispering as he very gently eased some accumulated dirt out of one of BB1's access ports. That made Finn's face heat up a little and he decided it was time to 'wake' properly. Then he realized he didn't know how normal people woke up. He usually snapped awake and hopped almost instantly to work on whatever task came to mind first, usually a long run - it was how he'd been conditioned since near infancy.

Unfortunately, an opportunity was offered to him a moment later. A loud zap followed by a yelp and Finn's head came up, eyes open. "Poe?" He asked, words feeling slurred and rough.

Poe was cradling his hand, but the pain-pinched features relaxed and brightened when he saw Finn's open eyes. "Hey, buddy," he said. "Sorry if I woke you. Your droid has some shortage issues, poor guy," he said, making it clear it wasn't any fault of the droid.

"You hurt?" He asked, sitting up, feeling his muscles shift and pop as he forced them into use. He'd never slept like that before, never… sprawled, and his body wasn't used to it.

"Nah, just a little zap. BB8 can do it on purpose."

"Yeah," Finn grimaced. "I know," he said. At Poe's curious look, Finn explained his first meeting with the now galaxy famous droid. "Saw me in your jacket, told Rey I'd stolen it, ran halfway across the tent city, knocked me over with that stick of hers, and BB8 zapped me. Twice!" He said, shaking his head as he laughed softly, harboring no ill will at all now. As he spoke he'd sat up and moved to slide to the floor across from Poe, loosely mirroring his position. "I felt awful when I had to tell him …" Finn was proud of the fact that he managed not to let his voice quaver, but to his own surprise it wasn't as overwhelming as it had been, to think of the memory of losing Poe.

"Sounds like my guy, he's a little possessive of me," Poe admitted as BB1 rolled away from him, only stopping when she reached Finn's leg, maneuvering closer to him and beeping softly, each beep distinct and slower than usual, as if the droid were enunciating.

A raised eyebrow at Poe got a translation. "Good Morning, Master Finn," Poe provided with a smile.

"Oh. I'm nobody's master, but good morning to you. And good morning Poe," he added, giving his friend a broad smile. "It certainly looks like the charge worked," Finn said, addressing both droid and human.

"Yeah, pretty well it seems," Poe nodded. He'd stopped cradling his hand and was folding up a bit of cloth covered in dirt and debris.

"That from …?" Finn asked, his own fingernail absently scraping a bit of grime from one of the many grooves on the droid's surface. 

"Yeah, and that's just what I could get with my fingers, we'll need to get a proper cleaning kit,"

Finn found himself beaming a little. "That's actually something I know about," he smiled, glad to have more than blaster skills and amatour cooking to offer this mission.

Poe opened his mouth but before he could say anything, the clock let out a shrill alarm. Poe hopped up and deactivated it. "We should get going," he murmured. "The charter leaves in about two hours, but I don't want to rush, and we need to get breakfast."

Finn let himself take in the sight of Poe for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah, I'll get dressed," he said, giving BB1 a pat before he stood, brushing close to Poe to reach for his bag. After producing his chosen outfit - black pants with a bright blue shirt - he thought nothing of taking off his sleep pants and stuffing them into the laundry compartment before dressing. HIs back was to Poe but that was incidental. "Are we taking BB1 with us?" He asked, turning to face Poe as he tucked his shirt in.

Poe was facing away, carefully packing up the projector and charging station. The droid beeped as Poe finished packing up.

Finn tried but couldn't make sense of Binary yet. 

"Said the the ship sounds nice, if we can plug the station in there for her," Poe translated, crouching down to properly tie his boots.

"Her?" Finn had been trying not to assume anything.

"MMm. We talked this morning. She prefers her. Some droids prefer he - BB8 does. And some are just neutral, or they don't care."

"Oh," he nodded. "Good to know," he said, eyes lingering on Poe before reaching the droid. Finn finished getting ready, packing the last of his things and tying his shoes. Then his stomach flipped when he recalled that outside this room they'd be playing married again. "Are we eating before we go?" He asked, crouching, then with a beep of approval, he picked BB1 up and settled her on the bed.

"Since we're dropping your girl back at the ship, probably best to get something on the way," Poe said thoughtfully, hoisting the station bag and his own overnight bag onto his shoulder.

Making sure to switch off the room and check for anything they'd missed, they stopped at the door. "Ready to put your game face back on, sweetheart?" Poe asked, his hand bumping against FInn's.

Smiling, he turned his hand and instead of just holding Poe's, he slid his fingers between the pilot's, his skin tingling at the increased contact, eyes lowering a bit shyly. Poe smiled at that and squeezed his fingers around Finn's. Then he leaned in, brushing a kiss halfway between Finn's cheek and his mouth before opening the door and leading them out. Poe had his overnight bag and the power station over his shoulder, Finn had his own bag over his shoulder and BB1 tucked into his arm. 

Checking out was much easier than checking in and Finn was foolishly glad he didn't have to relinquish Poe's hand just yet. It was different from holding Rey's hand, and unlike her, Poe had never once protested it. 

Finn stayed close to Poe as they made their way down a different street this time, fewer stalls, more shops and in general less traffic, though still rather crowded. "Avoiding the vendor?" He asked quietly, this time he got to be the one whispering into Poe's ear, hoping it didn't bother the other man.

"A little, I didn't like the way he treated our girl," Poe admitted, turning to reply, the two of them standing close, heads even closer.

"Our girl? You're gonna make BB8 jealous," Finn whispered back with a smile.

"Maybe, but I like you, and you saved my life, he'll come around," Poe assured him. 

Finn felt his stomach flip pleasantly. He knew Poe liked him, he'd said it before, but hearing it still gave him a thrill. "I like you too, Poe," he murmured, wishing he had the words or context to express everything he felt for the other man.

Poe's tongue came out briefly to lick along his lips and Finn's lowered eyes followed raptly before the two of them were jostled by an exuberant crowd of Ewoks bustling around and between them, pushing them apart a bit.

Finn gave a lopsided grin, hoping Poe hadn't noticed Finn's attention to his mouth. "Back to the ship?" Finn breathed, feeling the intimacy of the moment had passed.


	14. Poe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys board a small, charter airdot.

Poe had had the vague plan of slowly extracting his hand from Finn's once they got to the ship, but it never came to fruition. Instead, he kept their fingers entwined until two hands were necessary to get BB1 settled. 

Of course, they couldn't just pop her in the station and leave. "The station has to go on the bunk or I'll be tripping over it, but she can't get to the top one. Or even the bottom one, really," Finn mused, still holding the droid while Poe knelt and plugged the station in.

"Are you okay being stuck in the station until we get back?" Finn asked, then looked at Poe. "When *are* we getting back?"

"Tonight. We take the charter to Bakka city, our contact there will be bringing us back, he's coming into town for business. The only reason we're not waiting for him is we're trying to keep to a schedule and we need to be getting gone an hour after he drops us off,"

"Okay, are you good until tonight?" Finn asked.

*[* Yes you two have fun Master poe Make sure he has fun *]* the droid said, head turning to face Poe.

"I will, kiddo," he said. They settled the station on the lower bunk where Finn had been sleeping and Finn popped the droid into it. 

Poe knelt, "Okay, I left the charger port off for now, but it's right here," he said, indicating a spot on the inside of the cup. "Just roll that way and you'll be able to charge, okay?"

*[* Will you two go and leave an old lady to her nap?*]* Poe laughed at that. "I see a full charge opened up some protocols for you," he said, then translated for Finn, delighting in his friend's laugh as well.

*[* Don't laugh I'm older than this ship. *]*

"I know you are, my dear," Poe assured her, then translated.

"I think I'm actually starting to pick up a little bit," Finn admitted. 

Before the ramp was lowered, Poe smiled "Ready, sweetheart?" He asked, holding his hand out to Finn. It was going to be very hard to stop this once they no longer had to. He was wondering, in the back of his mind, if they had to, really. There wasn't anything wrong with pet names and endearments and holding hands. Except it might lead to more, and result in a pressured and confused Finn. He stuffed that idea deep down and decided to put on his big boy flight suit and take each moment as it came, as a good pilot should.

Finn again laced their fingers. "Is this okay?"

"It's very okay," he assured him, giving a squeeze before hitting the button to open the ramp. Once it closed and the remote security was activated, they made their way to another part of the space port, Poe checking his watch.

"First time I saw this many ships in one place," Finn said, staying close to Poe, "BB8 just about ran me over, to get to you." The tenderness in Finn's voice had Poe squeezing his hand firmly.

"I thought BB8 was gone. Thought you had gone into the sand with the TIE fighter, and that my mission was a bust," Recalling that well of memories had Poe taking a deep breath.

Any further interaction was forestalled by the arrival of a droid that looked like a red and blue version of C3P-O, Poe's first thought was that Finn would like the brightly colored droid - Blue torso and legs with bright red arms and neck and a tan head. Aside from the differences in color, this droid didn't have the usual small facsimile of a mouth - it was a broad grin that Poe found unsettling. A glance at Finn proved the other man was indeed grinning at the colorful droid.

"Excuse me you must be Poe Dameron," the droid sounded far more excited and less fussy than 3PO as well. "And Finn the ship is ready whenever you'd like to board Skip wants to get on the way says we have a tight schedule but really you don't need to be there for another eleven and a half minutes but Skip gets very anxious when everything's done and there's nothing to do but wait so I thought I'd come see if I could find you and here you are!"

Poe felt himself take in a sharp breath after that unabated flow of words. "Okay, no it's good. I'm Poe, this is Finn," he only unlaced their fingers to wrap his arm around Finn's waist, the gesture entirely too easy for his comfort. And the way Finn came close, leaning a bit as if they did this all the time, Poe's chest ached a little. 

"BRILLIANT!" The droid squeaked and held out arms more flexible than 3PO's "Let me take your bags the cabin is all set up for you two and I'll be there to get you anything you need Mum says I must take extra good care of honeymooners but they don't seem to care you probably just want to spend all your time locked in the bathroom like the others …"

Still talking, the droid headed towards the ship and Poe felt Finn curl into him, shaking a bit with laughter. Poe pressed his face into Finn's hair to muffle his own laughter. "I think C-3PO just got a run for his money," he finally said once he could breathe again. He didn't draw away, though, liking the feel of Finn pressed close too much.

"Guess we'll have to keep up the act," Finn murmured once he stopped trembling with suppressed laughter.

"Guess so," Poe murmured, realizing just how close their faces were. All he'd have to do was lean, just a little, and if Finn turned just a little, he could get a taste of. Finn's eyes were heavy lidded, half closed and a hint of pink tongue between full lips.

"Gentleman!" came the distinctly not droid voice, snapping the two men apart, Poe blushing at how close he'd come to crossing the line of friendship. "If it's alright with you, we *do* actually have a schedule to keep, so if you could save the lovey dovey for once you get on *board* …" The man was short, rather skinny and with a mop of red hair stuffed ineffectually under a rather ostentatious hat.

Poe didn't miss the brief half-second of stiffness on the part of Finn and gave him a firm squeeze. "Yes, we're coming, you must be Skip," he said with his most winning smile. 

"It's Captain Crieff!" The man said with an indignant squeak.


	15. Finn

Finn knew it wasn't Hux. Wasn't anything like Hux, ultimately. But for a second, he'd seen red hair, a perfectly kept uniform and the officious, insecure arrogance and he'd had an instant of what he realized was panic. Poe's arm had tightened, and everything was fine. As if the man had squeezed the anxiety right out of him with that clench of his strong arm.

He took a breath and stayed close to Poe - aided by the man's arm securely around his waist - as the followed Skip - Captain Crieff - into the ship. It was about the same size, in terms of cubic feet, as their ship, but with much more room given over to crew and passenger safety.

It didn't take long to get themselves settled in adjoining seats. Several seats had armrests between them but by mutual accord they'd settled in a pair of seats that were more like a couch. 

"Sorry about Skip," the droid said. "He can be very fussy about the rules sometimes Douglas tries to get him to relax but sometimes he forgets to let Skip win their games sometimes did you two want a drink or anything to eat? We have an array of drinks from all over the system and mum says i'm not allowed to cook until I can get upgraded again so there really isn't much to eat-"

"We'll be fine," Poe interjected and Finn was glad - he was still working out how to deal with droids. The First Order didn't use them much, preferring stormtroopers for virtually every task short of high command. "Uhm, we'll take some drinks," Poe said and named two drinks that Finn had never heard of.

"Brilliant!" He said and toddled off towards the galley.

Finn felt Poe's fingers against his arm just a moment before their fingers laced and he smiled at the other man. He was getting used to this, and he was going to hate when it had to stop. Poe hadn't been like this before, he wouldn't be like this after. Finn decided to savor it while he could.

"Did you ever do this?" Finn asked curiously. "Fly a shuttle like this or were you always a fighter pilot?"

"I've done my share of shuttle runs, but never a charter like this, I … generally didn't want to stay still long enough to do it as a permanent assignment, and thankfully I've had commanding officers whose idea of what I would be best off doing agreed with mine,"

"You really are one hell of a fighter pilot, it would be a waste to have you do anything else. You know it takes a solid year for one of us to be allowed to pilot a Tie Fighter? And you figured it all out in … two minutes?"

Poe flushed slightly but grinned. "Thanks, sweetheart," he said smoothly. "I'll let you in on a secret," he leaned close and Finn shivered at the breath of air against his ear and the added heat against his shoulder. "I'd been studying TIE fighters almost as long as X-wings, that was just my first time flying one," 

"You really can fly anything," Finn said, not even trying to hide the fondness and admiration.

"Everything I've run into so far," he said with a smile.

"Attention passengers, this is your Captain speaking," though the voice overhead was decidedly not the unctuous young man from earlier. "My apologies, Sir has reminded me that I am your *CO*Pilot, not your captain, DO pardon the confusion. At any rate, I'd like to personally welcome the lovebirds aboard and wish them far more luck than I've had with ANY of my three marriages. And I see from the manifest, that one of you lucky gents is a Dameron," The shuttle lifted off flawlessly as the man continued. "You don't happen to be related to a Kes Dameron by any chance?"

Finn's eyes went a bit wide. "That's your dad isn't it?" He whispered and Poe had an uncomfortable look as he nodded. Finn squeezed his hand firmly.

"Let me go see what's going on," Poe whispered, then leaned close, brushing a kiss to Finn’s ear, than whispering "If you need it there's a mini blaster in my bag," even though the situation was less than pleasurable, Finn still felt a shiver at the nearness.

"Want me to come with?" Finn asked, not liking the idea of Poe going somewhere alone.

"Best not, sweetheart," he murmured. "It might be nothing, my dad knew a lot of people when he was active, could just be an old war buddy." Another peck to Finn's cheek tingled as he watched Poe depart, heading to the front of the flight.


	16. The rest of it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The entire rest of the story, see notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did have this written, but some comments on the fic, combined with some personal issues threw me off my posting, and then I was honestly too embarassed, so now here's all the rest of it.
> 
> I'd been reviewing each section (for the n-teenth time) before putting it up but I haven't been up to doing that this time, so there might be a few lingering mistakes. If anything looks like it's not supposed to be there, please let me know!

"How do you know Kes Dameron?" Poe asked, his voice serious without being too confrontational. The pilot who'd spoken was larger than Captain Crieff, taller and broader, with a middle aged spread not unlike what his own father had developed, much to Kes' annoyance.

The man turned and his eyes widened a bit. "You must be Poe, you're the spitting image of your father, but you have your mother's eyes,"

The man wasn't familiar to Poe, but he wasn't close to very many of his father's old Pathfinding crew, knew hardly any of the civilians he'd worked with. "How do you know Kes Dameron?" He asked again, a bit more firmly. With recent events, he felt entirely justified being a little defensive.

"I knew him during the last war. I wasn't a soldier," he grimaced "And didn't have the nerves to be a fighter pilot, but I did my part. I worked with Han Solo a time or ten over the years, and helped get him and his pathfinders in and out of a few sticky spots. Douglas Richardson is the name," he said and Poe let himself give a sad smile.

"I think I remember you. You were a pilot for the trade guild," he said and the man nodded. "He mentioned you once or twice. Said it was a shame you were a smuggler," he said, "Also said you tried to steal mom once," though there was no venom in it, His father recounted the story fondly.

"Ahh yes. She was lovely," he said with a smile. "And the extent of my attempted theft has been greatly exaggerated. We simply had a very engaging discussion about the better points of piloting by the seat of one's pants. I made the perfectly innocent suggestion-" His copilot snorted and Douglass continued unabated "-that piloting is often at its best when there are no pants involved at all. I'm sure a handsome lad like yourself is well aware of the truth of that." 

Poe couldn't help but laugh even as he shook his head. "I find it just leads to very uncomfortable chafing, I much prefer having plenty of room to work, makes for a much more satisfying job, don't you think?" He asked, giving Douglass a clap on the shoulder before heading back to Finn. He grinned at Captain Crieff’s bark of laughter. Mr. Richardson seemed like the type of man who didn't get shot down often, and Poe had never been overly fond of that sort, though the man seemed likable enough.

Finn's fingers were drumming uneasily on his leg when Poe settled back beside him. He took the man's hand and laced their fingers again. "He did know dad during the last war," he said, giving an encapsulated version of their conversation, leaning close to Finn, enjoying the excuse to do so, even as part of him knew he was going to hell for taking advantage of the situation. Though Finn didn't seem to mind, leaning just as close to hear Poe, and staying close when he responded.

"And what was Captain Crieff laughing about?" Finn asked, his breath close enough to brush against Poe's cheek.

"A disagreement as to the nature of certain flight maneuvers," He murmured, deciding best not to discuss sex where they could be overheard, not if they were playing newlyweds. "Now, what was it about the captain that had you tense up earlier, sweetheart?" He whispered, taking every chance to use the phrase while he still could.

Finn's lips pursed just a second before he answered. "I know it's silly, knew it at the time but he reminded me of General Hux. All red hair, crisp uniform and shrieking insecurity," he whispered back. "Except Hux is taller. A lot taller. And a lot more … evil," he admitted and Poe pressed his shoulder against Finn's.

"I get it," He whispered back, giving Finn's shoulder and cheek a little nuzzle, brushing a kiss to his skin just as the droid arrived.

They were alerted to the return of the droid by a click-whirr and then drinks were set before them. "Your drinks I'm sorry it took so long mum called and yelled at me some more about the cooking and told me to get some pictures of the lucky couple as part of our honeymoon package so here you are and you look brilliant!" The droid produced a paper photo from a plate on his chest and handed it to Poe. What struck him most was the look on Finn's face as he kissed his friend's cheek. A sweet, fond smile, with heavy lidded eyes. He really did look like a cozy, happy newlywed.

Finn's fingers shook a little as he reached for the picture as the droid departed. "Can I keep this?" He asked, his voice a little thick.

"Of course, sweetheart," Poe said, finding more and more that he was less and less able to deny Finn. Of course, thinking back, he realized he'd never once actually told the man no. Not since their very first meeting in that stuffy space on Starkiller.

"I don't have any … they didn't take pictures in the first order and I … Thanks," Finn apparently at a loss for words and he turned, wrapping both arms tightly around Poe.

Returning the hug, Poe let his face press into Finn's shoulder, drawing in his smell and Poe was distantly aware of another picture being taken. The droid seemed to be exceptionally diligent, especially regarding orders from 'mum' so Poe expected quite a few pictures during their two hour flight.

* * * * * * * * * *

After the two hour flight, the pair finally disembarked. Each shouldered his own bag as Finn tucked the prodigious sheaf of pictures into his jacket, along with the chip with copies, plus several dozen that the droid felt were unsuitable for printing - usually one or the other had blinked, but Finn had requested all of them. Which had prompted Poe to launch into telling the droid that Finn had taken up photography and was doing some really good work, and Finn blushed for ten minutes straight while Poe bragged about the holo of the ship.

"There he is," Poe said, taking Finn's hand as he recognized a man standing beside a low riding land speeder. 

Finn couldn't help but smile a little at the excitement in Poe's voice. When they got to him, Poe let go and gripped the man's shoulders in greeting. "Jax! Good to see you again."

"Poe, when the hell did you grow up?" The man boomed. "When I heard you'd be stopping by, I wondered when they let ten year olds fly by themselves," he teased.

"I've been getting older every day, Jax, just like you," he laughed, then turned, a hand on Finn's arm drawing him a bit closer, hand moving to his waist. "Jax this is Finn, we're on our honeymoon," he said and Finn took that as a cue to move closer, leaning a bit, and was deeply gratified and satisfied when Poe's hand moved fully around his shoulders.

"Married, eh? Congratulations, kid." Then he turned to Finn, shook his hand, encased it in both his large ones. "And my condolences, Damerons aren't the easiest to live with, and this kid's half Bey which just makes it worse. You'll never get him out of the air."

Poe punched Jax's arm but Finn could see the joy in his face. "Wouldn't want to, anyway," Finn said easily. "It makes him too happy."

Jax gave Finn a considering look before nodding, apparently in approval. Then he turned back to Poe, "Never thought you'd settle down," the man said as he took their bags. "Then, never thought your father would, either, and that went very well for him."

Finn was glad of the man's gregarious nature, made it less that he had to say. He also fully expected Poe would reveal the truth once they were alone - they could easily be overheard now, best to keep up the act.

They were soon loaded into the speeder, which wasn't really big enough for them. Jax took up most of the front, so Finn and Poe were in the back. Finn had his arm up over the back rather than squish it between him and Poe. It was the easiest thing to let his hand slide down and rest on Poe's shoulder, which caused Poe to relax further against him.

Poe took that opportunity to turn and whisper into Finn's ear "He's on the side of the Resistance, but it's no accident that he lives here," Finn shivered at the brush of warm air and rumble of Poe's voice. "Best if we don't tell him the truth," he said and Finn nodded. 

"Sounds good … sweetheart," Finn said the endearment slowly and when Poe didn't react for a moment, he worried he'd got it wrong, then Poe's head relaxed, leaning against his. 

"You can call me that anytime," he whispered and Finn's face went dark. He'd make a point of doing so a few more times, and wondered why it had taken him so long. He realized he was just scared of crossing too many lines. But he didn't think he knew just where the lines were, anymore.

Another ten minutes saw them unloading behind a small but well built dome of a house. Five minutes after that, they were seated in Jax's kitchen while the man's wife bustled around the kitchen, belly rounded with life as she laid out a small feast for the men.

"I never discuss business over a meal," Jax said as he began to heap his plate. "So tell me how you two met," He asked, glancing at the pair.

"Classified," Poe said and Finn saw the twinkle in his eye. "I was doing a thing, which is classified, and he did a thing, also classified, and then there was a lot more classified stuff after that," Poe said, smiling at FInn, taking his hand, entwining them on the table.

"Then we decided, since there's a war on and we don't know …" Finn took over then, not entirely sure where the words came from. "Everything can be gone in a second, one plazma burst and it's all over, everything around you can crash and burn. Or your whole world just blows up. So we didn't want to wait. The war might never be over, and we've already lost so much so … we're holding tight to what we've got," he said, gripping Poe's fingers tightly, his own chest aching at the memory. Finn hadn't meant to, but he'd addressed every word to Poe, unaware of the fire in his own eyes. But increasingly aware of the shine in Poe's.

Before Finn knew entirely what was happening, Poe had a hand on Finn's neck and their lips were pressed together. Finn let out a faint squeak but didn't pull back. His eyes closed and he drank in the feel of Poe's kiss, their lips working softly together. There was the briefest brush of tongue from the other man before he drew back, both of them flushed, Poe biting his lip.

Jax looked between them for a moment before saying to Poe. "Let him tell the grandkids, alright? Skip the classified horseshit and just go right to what he said," Jax said with a firm nod.

"Yessir," Poe said, eyes not leaving Finn's. Finn couldn't bring himself to break the gaze either. 

It was Jax who spoke again. "Time for that later, lads," he said. "Now is the time to eat, the way you're looking at each other, you'll need the energy," he said with a loud laugh and his wife smacked his shoulder, admonishing him through her own laughter.

After they ate, Finn stood, insisting on helping Jax's wife with the dishes. "I used to work sanitation," he claimed "And the food was very good, I'm happy to help," he said.

She finally relented and went to lie down. Jax went to help her settle, returning a few minutes later as Poe was piling the last of the dishes beside Finn, then moving to the other side to dry them as Finn washed.

"Alright, Poe," Jax said as he returned, leaning against the counter nearby. "How can I help the resistance?" He asked.

Finn listened to the conversation, Poe outlining what they were desperately in need of since the destruction of the Hosnian system. And what they already had lines on and possibilities for.

"I might be able to give you some names, especially since you're obviously willing to travel, and don't mind working with a few people on the far side of the law."

"When your general is married to a galaxy famous smuggler, and your dad dad worked with him…" Poe just shrugged.

"And what about you, Finn?" Jax asked and FInn froze for a split second. 

"What about me, Sir?"

"Where do you stand on Smugglers?"

Finn flushed a bit, then glanced at Poe as he answered. "Well, my Middle name's Solo, so there's that," he said, seeing Poe smile before turning to Jax. "I'm fine with smugglers, as long as they're good people."

"Good answer, lad," Jax said with a nod. It didn't take long to finish the dishes, the three working easily together. FInn washed quickly, Poe dried and Jax put away.

Once they were done, Jax led them into his office and the two of them talked terms, deliveries, amounts, while Finn listened. He paid close attention, just in case he would have to take Poe's place during the mission. In a way what surprised him the most was that Jax would be getting a decent rate for what he supplied. The First Order told them that the resistance stole, or that the Republic gave whem what they needed. He wondered where they got the money.

After the negotiations were finished, Jax checked on his wife, seeing if she needed anything. Then he called a neighbor, telling her he was going to be away for a few hours, if she could come check on her every hour or so.

The ride back was uneventful and Jax soon delivered them to the spaceport with jovial hugs for both before heading off to his meeting.

As they grew closer to the ship and to privacy, Finn felt himself growing more uneasy. The ship signalled the end of pretending. And they would have to deal with the fact that Poe had kissed him. But, Finn decided, maybe he didn't have to talk about it. Maybe it was just part of the act, and if Poe didn't say anything, Finn wouldn't either.

They held hands up the ramp of the ship, only letting go when Finn went to his room and Poe to the cockpit. Poe busied himself with preflight checks and other things Finn didn't know about.

Finn busied himself with unpacking. "Hey, BB1," he said to the droid. "I'd ask how you were doing but I don't think I could understand you," he admitted. The droid chirped at him and he smiled. Then chirped again and he turned to look at her. He saw a lit up section of the station and frowned, he'd not noticed it before. When she beeped again, he leaned closer and realized it had writing on it. And as he looked, it changed. 

[Binary is faster but we can do this too] is what he read, then laughed, glad to finally be able to communicate.

"Well, I wanna learn Binary. And maybe Wookie, if Rey's gonna be working with Chewie," he said, tucking his clothes back into drawers, some going into the fresher unit.

[Binary is the best and most efficient.] he read.

"You would say that, wouldn't you?" He asked. "I never thought text could sound smug,"

The chirp he got in answer had no accompanying text.

Once packed, Finn withdrew the set of pictures, folding himself onto the bunk beside BB1. He had seen a few, but some of these he hadn't gotten a good look at. His heart felt equally heavy and light as he looked, seeing the way he looked, and the way Poe looked. They both must be very good actors. He knew they'd been acting but looking at the pictures, he could almost believe they were in love. He flipped through them slowly, pausing a few, letting himself memorize Poe's face in them.

A chirp alerted him to BB1 and he looked at the display.

[Where did they come from?]

"The droid on the shuttle took them, part of the honeymoon package," Finn explained, shifting a little to lean closer to the droid, showing her some of the pictures.

"Hey, Finn," Poe said from the doorway. "Ready for takeoff?"

"Yeah," Finn smiled, setting the pictures on his dresser as he slid off the bunk. "Where are we going now?" He gave BB1 a little wave as he departed.

Poe explained their next destination as he lead Finn back to the cockpit.

"It'll be about a day getting there, then I have to contact some people from the old republic intelligence networks," he explained as they settled down.

"What can I do to help?" He asked. "Are we … I mean is it like the last place?"

Poe focused on the controls and getting the ship airborne before he answered and Finn felt himself get nervous.

"No, buddy," he finally answered. "Just … like before Miranda. We don't have to pretend."

Finn nodded, rubbing his hands together slowly, not sure what to make of the slight flatness of Poe's tone.

"Okay," Finn didn't want to leave, but he didn't like this awkward air, either. "At this next stop, can we find things for BB1," he asked quietly.

"Yeah, of course," Poe said, a bit more cheerfully. "In fact the contact we need to see works as a tailor in the shopping district, so we can duck into a bunch of their shops," he finally turned as he finished with the controls and had them out of the system.

"That's great. She's a lot lighter than BB8, I think a lot of her internal parts are missing. I think your cleaning helped a lot, she's … chattier?"

"Yeah, I got into her works a little, a few of her protocol chips were gunked up and dislodged, so I got those back into place and now she's basically herself as far as I can tell, we just need to get her fully repaired and properly cleaned."

"I'm not good at droid maintenance, but I can clean anything," Finn said. Blasters and sanitation, the only things he had to offer. The silenced stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable. "Why'd you kiss me?" The question blurted itself out - Finn hadn't intended to ask. Didn't recall now what he *had* planned to say, but it wasn't that.

Another long silence, and Poe wasn't even pretending to fuss with the controls, though his back was to Finn now. "It, er, it seemed the thing to do," Poe said quietly. "Where'd your little speech come from, in Jax's kitchen?" He countered.

"Ah …" Finn said, feeling a flush creep down his cheeks at that. "It just … like Jax said, classified doesn't make for a good story. I just … it sounded good," he all but whispered, not wanting to admit that he'd felt everything he said. That he was terrifying of losing Poe again, and he wanted to hold on what he had with both hands. 

"Okay," Poe turned to face Finn. "Hey, buddy … wanna learn how to fly?" He asked, eyes alight.

* * * * * * * * * *

Poe knew he was sunk the second Finn asked that question. Why *had* he kissed the other man? After a few seconds of panic, he came up with a passable answer, wishing he could tell Finn the truth. He'd kissed him because he wanted to. Because after hearing his reasoning for their marriage, he couldn't have gone another second without kissing him. Every word had sounded and felt and *looked* so real. He cleared his throat and finally answered Finn's question. Then he launched one of his own, asking about the words that had prompted his kiss in the first place.

Rather than allow another silence to stretch and fill the air, he turned to Finn with a grin. "Wanna learn how to fly?"

The beam on Finn's face made every awkward moment worth it.

"Okay, come sit here," he stood, motioning for Finn to take the pilot seat. Then he braced one hand on the back and reached the other around as he leaned in. "Okay, see these buttons …"

Two hours later, Finn seemed to have a decent hang of things but was reaching a minor point of burnout. But at the same time, Poe didn't want to be done. He was leaning, one arm practically wrapped around Finn, heads bowed together, voices quiet as he answered questions and quizzed the other man.

"Hey, you getting hungry?" Finn broke through Poe's reverie.

"I could certainly eat. You, ah, want me to make something? No cooking, I Promise!" He said when he saw the panic on Finn's face.

"I, uhm … don't know if I should be left at the controls," Finn admitted. "I know how important it is to have a pilot in here at all times. And I'm no pilot, Poe," he said with a smile as he stood.

He stood so quickly that Poe didn't have a chance to step back and they ended up toe to toe, almost close enough to kiss, if one or the other just swayed forwards a little bit. Finn cleared his throat and turned away. "I'll go make something," he said, giving Poe's shoulders a squeeze before stepping passed him and into the hallway down to the galley.

"Okay, buddy," Poe said quietly. He braced his hands on the control board and let his head drop, sighing deeply, wondering how badly he'd fucked things up when he kissed the other man. Best thing to do, he decided, was pretend everything was the way it had been before. Before Bakka City, before Miranda.

Poe finally settled on the seat again, watching the lines of hyperspace, keeping one eye on the controls. He listened for the sound of Finn cooking, but there was nothing yet. After a little while, something did filter into his hearing. 

 

"... just wanna spend time with him," The lack of sound before Finn spoke again was curious. "No, it's gonna be fine, we just need to get used to not playing married again, I think." Poe realized that BB1 must've accessed the speech display feature of the station and smiled. At least now Finn had someone else to talk to. Satisfied that his friend was doing alright, Poe turned back to flying.

About half an hour later, Finn arrived with a thick stew and bread that looked fresh but it couldn't have been - he hadn't smelled it baking. "Rey told me about this stuff," Finn said as he settled into the jump seat. "It was one of the only foods she could get on Jakku, just put it in a plate, add some water and voila, bread. It's not the best but it seemed good to go with the stew," Poe listened to Finn explain, liking the sound of his voice.

"Hey, it's good, buddy. Anything gets boring when you have it all the time, I'm sure you know that," Poe's eye almost twitched again thinking of what Finn had been raised on.

"I know,"Finn nodded. "I … thanks for letting me do this," he said quietly. "I don't have much … I mean … I can shoot, and I can clean things. The resistance can't do much with that," he said quietly. "Not really. So thanks for … letting me have this."

"Hey, buddy," Poe felt his chest ache at Finn's voice. He set his bowl aside, then took Finn's and set it aside, taking Finn's hands in his. "You have a lot to offer, and I don't just mean information on the First Order," he added before he could counter with that. "You're a good man, Finn. I've said it before, and I will again. Every day if you need me to. And what the General said is true. What you did is phenomenally brave. And every day you stay with us, you prove just how brave you really are."

"I almost ran away," Finn whispered, head bowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Before you came and rescued us, at Maz's place. I was … I'd made a deal with some guys. I'd sign on as crew until they reached the Outer Rim. I had … You were dead. Solo or Rey could get BB8 home and I just … I was so terrified of everything that had happened, I just wanted to run. And I almost did. I was loading up their ship when … they fired the weapon. I could see it in the sky, I knew what it was. I'm not force sensitive, but I could almost feel everyone die. How do that many people die at one time and you *don't* feel it?"

It wasn't until a tear or two dropped onto Poe's hand that he realized his friend was weeping. "Hey, hey buddy," he said, one hand reaching up to FInn's cheek, wiping his tears. "We all get scared," he assured him gently.

"You've never run away from your problems," and Finn sounded so certain, it almost broke Poe's heart to tell him the truth.

"Don't bet on that, sweetheart," he murmured, the endearment coming out before he realized it. "I've run, in my fashion. And I hid for a long time. I knew there was a problem, but I tried going through official channels, doing things through the chain of command when I was in the Republic Fleet. But they didn't want to fix things. Didn't want to … do the right thing," he sighed. "But I was there for … a while before it got bad enough that I had to do something. I disobeyed orders, but when I got back, I was taken to see the General, to tell her everything. Two days later I'd resigned my fleet commission and went with her back to D'Qar." Most of the people who knew Poe knew that story, but he'd never actually told anyone, never laid out his own shame at taking so long to defect.

"You're a good man, Poe Dameron," Finn said finally, sounding much less choked.

"Thanks, Finn," He said with a sad smile. "It means a lot that you think that."

"It's not just what I think. It's what I see. Everyone around you likes you, respects you. You say you ran and hid in the republic fleet. Maybe. But what I see now is you being the one," Finn poked a finger into Poe's chest, "you're the reason we blew up Starkiller. We may have blasted the hole, but it was still going to fire. I heard them talk, you're the one who flew into that hole and did what needed to be done."

As they'd spoke, their foreheads had come to rest together, hands clasped. "And this is where I point out that you may have tried to run, but you didn't. You could have stayed with Maz, you could've still gone to the outer rim. I know you had to get Rey, and buddy I love that about you. But once she was back, and you were awake, you could have gone after her. Or gone anywhere. But you stayed. I knew the General, she would have not only let you go, she would have helped you. We've got people all over the galaxy, she would have found a place for you," He promised softly. "But you stayed. You stayed with the resistance."

"With you," Finn whispered so quietly Poe almost missed it. "And we don't have to pretend anymore," Finn continued. "You … don't need to call me sweetheart, anymore," he whispered.

Poe's brow knit for a moment before he realized what he'd said and flushed at the memory. "I … it wasn't … do you *want* me to stop?"

"I … like it. I know I shouldn't, we're not … we're just friends. But I like it. I'm sorry." 

"Don't be sorry," he said, a small knot releasing in his chest. "I like calling you sweetheart, too," he murmured. Finn's smile at that was enough to keep Poe warm all day long.

"Do … I'm not used to … endearments don't come naturally to me," he murmured. "Can I call you …"

"Call me anything you want, just don't call me late for dinner," Poe quipped. "Sorry, just something dad says," he chuckled. "You can call me sweetheart, or anything else you'd like."

"You can't be late for dinner, I bring it to you," Finn said and the tension between seemed to break, both men laughing softly as it bled out of their shoulders.

Poe worried that Finn would ask where their relationship stood right now, but he didn't. Poe didn't want to try and examine and define what was going on between them. He just wanted to enjoy it. "Hey, something else I didn't mind about Miranda?" Poe asked, and Finn raised an eyebrow. "This," he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Finn's cheek, feeling almost as shy as he had the first time he kissed anyone.

Finn smiled at that. "I like that, too," he admitted. The silence drew out, and Poe worried that the other kiss would come up again, but it didn't. It was a moment they'd shared, and it was over, never to be repeated, at least not for a long time, probably.

* * * * * * * * * *

That night, Finn got BB1 settled into the station, then changed into soft sleep pants, no shirt. He was about to climb up into the top bunk when something occurred to him. 

"Poe?" He said quietly as he approached the cockpit. He was glad he'd spoken before he saw the other man. He'd stipped off his jacket and outer shirt, leaving him in just a black, sleeveless undershirt and his pants, top button undone.

"Hey," Poe said, giving Finn a warm smile. "Everything okay with our girl?"

"Yeah," Finn said, finally forcing his brain to work again. "I was just wondering …" He settled onto the jump seat. "Why do you sleep in here? I wondered before I just … kept forgetting to ask," he admitted. And the fact was, having slept one night with Poe, the idea of leaning against the bulkhead wall to prop himself up, or curling up to a pillow that didn't smell like Poe were both unappealing options.

"Oh … habit, and training," He leaned forward, arms braced on his knees. "Mom taught me to fly from when I was six years old. But even before that, she'd sit me in her lap in front of holos of cockpits and teach me what everything did and all the rules of flying. One the she said was to never, ever step away from the controls. I mean, the instant stuff, there's no stopping that, but most errors can be corrected if the pilot is fast enough. In the time it would take me to get from our bunk to the cockpit could mean the difference between being smeared across two systems, or making an emergency landing somewhere."

Finn felt his stomach flip at Poe's 'our' bunk, even though he probably just meant the pair of bunks in the crew quarters. "Oh … well. I was just … it can't be comfortable," he mused. He knew there was no talking Poe out of it, but he still lamented the practicality of it.

"I'm used to it. I've slept in my X-wing more than once, and I can't spread out in that seat there. Doesn't recline, either."

Finn nodded, then watched Poe's eyes drift over his chest and almost felt the touch, recalling their time the night before - was it really that recently? - when he'd discovered he was ticklish.

"What's that one from?" Poe asked gently, indicating Finn's shoulder. "It's newer than the others."

Finn swallowed, trying not to think of Poe looking that carefully at his scars to know which was new. "Kylo Ren," he finally said. "When we were fighting, we grappled, and … His sabre, it's not like Luke's, it's got bits on the side. He managed to get that into my shoulder before I shoved him off," he said, reaching to finger the wound, the pain long gone.

"Yeah, I saw that on the jacket, didn't know what it was. It … I've never seen light sabre damage before. At least not a wound like that. I saw Luke's hand but you can't really see the wound there, the prosthesis covers it."

"It wasn't pleasant," Finn said with a chuckle. "Doesn't hurt anymore, though," he said. He lifted his shoulder, rotating the socket to prove he had full range of motion.

"They've got pretty good medical staff at the resistence. Mom and Dad say it was the same the last time around," he sighed. "In fact she had some complications when I was born, and they took real good care of her," he smiled.

"Yeah. The First Order …. I mean, they patch us up to some extent," He put a hand on one of his older scars. "But after a point it's …" He took a breath and knew he didn't need to finish, Poe's hand gently squeezing his knee proved he understood. 

"I'm glad we were able to patch you up," he said and Finn let himself lay his hand over Poe's. 

Then a sudden yawn struck and he drew his arms back to stretch a little. "I think that's my cue to climb into bed," he said with a sigh.

"AIight," Poe smiled, looking up, an almost hopeful flash in his eyes. It took Finn a second, but he turned and leaned down, pressing a kiss to Poe's cheek. The rightness of his decision was proven when Poe's hand slid to his waist and he returned the kiss before letting go, Finn's cheek tingling. "Good night, Poe," he breathed.

"Night, sweetheart," Poe returned before Finn left, grinning like an idiot.

He saw the display on BB1's station blink, though the droid seemed to be in standby mode. [Goodnight, Finn,] "Goodnight, BB1," he said, giving the droid a little pat before hoisting himself up onto the top bunk. Instead of leaning, he found himself on his stomach, not unlike how he'd slept a portion of the night before, in the honeymoon suite.

* * * * * * * * * *

Poe hovered around the edge of wakefulness for a while before it was time to drop out of hyperspace. Once he did, he cut power to the engines for a short while. It was still the wee small hours, ship time, and Finn's room was silent and mostly dark. With the engines dead and the ship floating, Poe felt safe leaving the cockpit. And certain urges demanded that he do so. He headed to the bathroom and emerged a short time later, t-shirt off, stuffed into the washing unit. He decided to check on Finn and made his way quietly down the hall.

His eyes had adjusted to the dim light and he could see Finn's dark shape on the upper bunk clearly in the weak light from the sleeping droid.

He also saw Finn's arm hanging down, his head turned away as he sprawled on the bed. Having slept like that a time or two, Poe knew the soreness that would come in the morning. And it gave him a legitimate reason to manhandle his friend.

BB1 must have motion sensors, because she lit up silently when he stepped into the room. He covered his lips with a finger and she gave a blink of acknowledgement.

Stepping closer, Poe took Finn's hand, the chill of it proving he'd slept like that for a while. He lifted it gently, one hand holding his arm while the other lifted Finn's blanket, tucking the arm under it. "There you go, sweetheart," he whispered, drawing the blanket up around the man's bare shoulder.

When Finn made a sound, Poe worried he was waking. Then he just shifted in his sleep, tucking his arm closer as he rolled slightly, head turning to face from the wall to Poe, but still sleep. The movement dislodged the blanket a little so he drew it back up, tucking his friend in again.

The droid was watching him, head cocked at a familiar angle - some things didn't change between models, apparently. "What?" He asked, crouching to meet the droid eye level.

The display flashed. [What was that?]

"Just making sure he sleeps comfortably." There was no response but Poe still felt he was being given some kind of look. "Don't look at me like that, he hasn't had a lot of comfort in his life," he whispered defensively. "I just want him happy." And that look drew out, making Poe itch between his shoulders. Finally the droid seemed to nod to itself and dropped off into low power mode again, just as quick as you please.

"Goodnight," he whispered to the bot, a hand brushing over her head before he stood, giving Finn one last lingering look before returning to his cockpit to start the light speed trip to the planet, and catch another few hours of light sleep. 

* * * * * * * * * *

Finn woke again to find himself sprawled, and remarkably well rested. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and noticed the time, having gotten a solid 8 hours. He climbed down and greeted BB1. "Hey, girl," he said. A glance down the hall proved they were still moving, but he didn't see movement from Poe himself, assuming him to be asleep, still.

[Good morning. Would it be alright if I explored the ship today?] the droid displayed.

"Of course! Let me help you out …" he carefully lifted her from the cradle of the charging station and set her on the floor. "Cockpit's down that way, galley, bathroom, uhm, cargo," he indicated each of the doors or passageways.

She gave him a chirp, and he said "You're welcome," before he realized it. Then he grinned. "Wait, wait, did I do that? I understood that?!" He couldn't keep the excitement from his voice. Her roll-nod confirmed it and he gave a whoop, then covered his mouth, recalling Poe was sleeping.

"Finn?" Came the sleepy call as BB1 rolled off. Feeling a bit embarrassed but rather pleased, Finn strolled to the cockpit, surprised to find Poe's shirt entirely off as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Sorry, I uhm …" he cleared his throat, having a hard time speaking at the sight of Poe's bare chest. He'd felt it before but hadn't seen it yet. Now he actually saw the scar his fingers had explored earlier. And a few others beside. Some far fresher than he would have thought, and with a chill he realized what they'd had to be from.

BB1, bless her, rolled in to save Finn from the silence. She chirped excitedly at Poe, who nodded, then grinned. "Hey, good job, buddy!" He said proudly.

"It's just … one thing, but … I've never known anything before that wasn't standard," he admitted, almost preening at the praise. "The First Order isn't big on foreign language studies," he said with a grimace.

"No, I don't imagine they would be," Poe agreed. "We've got about two hours before planetfall," he said, checking the display.

"Want some breakfast, then?" Finn offered, falling back on something he was increasingly comfortable with.

"I'd love some, whatever you wanna make," 

Poe promised with a smile, giving a stretch, arms over his head, body straight in the seat and Finn felt his mouth water for reasons he didn't fully understand. "I'll just … go find something," he said before heading down the hall, telling himself he wasn't fleeing, he was running in the opposite direction rather quickly. 

Thankfully for Finn's nerves, when he returned with two mugs, Poe had donned a fresh tank top, at least. Another black one but the arms exposed his chest a bit more, as well as his arms. Handing over the mug, he noticed a mark on Poe's shoulder for the first time. "What's that?" Finn asked as he settled on the jumpstea, taking a sip of his drink.

Poe glanced at his upper arm with a look between a smile and a grimace. The tattoo was a dark purplish red resistance symbol, surrounded by a faded sunburst in yellow, outlined in black. "I had most of it done when I was younger, right after I joined the republic fleet. This part," he tapped the resistance emblem. "Was blue," he explained. "When I defected and joined the resistance, I had it gone over in red. I could have had them lift the blue out but … My parents fought for the republic. I'm still loyal to part of it, it's *why* i'm in the resistance, I'm loyal to the parts that aren't corrupted, that aren't stagnant. But I'm resistence now. I won't turn my back on that, ever," he said.

Finn listened keenly and smiled. "It makes sense. This is the only mark I have," he showed off his forearm. It wasn't easily visible on his dark skin, but Poe could just make out the raised letters and numbers Finn had first given as his name.

"You can have that taken off if you want," Poe offered.

Finn considered it before shaking his head. "It's a part of my past. Removing it won't change that. Like how you kept yours," he said and Poe nodded. "Maybe I'll do something over it," Finn finally said, fingers brushing over the faint scars. He hadn't wanted to tell Poe - the numbers had been laser branded into him, not inked, a product of his complexion - tattoos couldn't be seen easily, scars could.

They sipped their drinks quietly until a soft beeping from the kitchen had Finn standing. "I'll take that," Poe offered, holding his hand out and Finn handed over his drink.

With the bread - proper bread this time - Finn came back with breakfast sandwiches. Fried eggs, blue yolks intact, fried salted meat strips, and a few thin slices of cheese - one of each kind he had. The only 'preserved' part of the sandwich was the tangy sauce he spread on the thick bread.

When he came back with the two plates, he saw Poe grimace at the cup Finn had left him. "Something wrong?" He asked, setting Poe's plate on the small empty section of control panel.

"There's nothing in it," Poe said, frowning. Finn must've showed the confusion so Poe continued. "It's coffee with … nothing," he said.

"It's kinda nasty, that's why I make you the other stuff," he said with a shrug, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Poe let out a slow sigh and Finn could tell he'd done something … not wrong but he was about to get a special Poe Dameron lesson in How To Be In The World, and he found he didn't mind them.

"You can put things in coffee," Poe said. "I like a lot of sweetener," he explained simply.

Finn held his sandwich between the plate and his mouth as he absorbed that. Without taking his second bite he set the sandwich down, left the plate on the jump seat and snatched the mug before stalking back into the kitchen. He knew he should be annoyed but Poe's laughter only served to calm him down. He knew, somehow he *knew* he wasn't being laughed at. Not in a malicious way. He was being laughed at the way Poe and his friends laughed at each other when they shared a joke.

When he came back, he didn't even know how much sweetener he'd added, just that the dark, bitter drink was still dark but actually tasted good. "No one told me," he laughed softly. "I mean … the General made me a cup once, and it was really good. I just thought it was two different drinks, what she made was different colored, too." 

"She put cream in it." Poe shook his head, chuckling softly. "Better?" He asked, setting his own mug aside and taking a bite of his sandwich, letting out an appreciative sound that Finn cherished.

"Much," Finn said with a contented sigh. "We'll need more sweetener when we can get some," he said, taking another long swallow before going back to his sandwich.

"You're good at spices," Poe said curiously.

"Those are in the recipe, nothing ever says to sweeten coffee," Finn explained, too happy at his new discovery to be annoyed.

"You don't have to use just the spices in the recipe, either," Poe added. "They're a general guideline but you don't have to be exact. And don't just take my word for it-" Poe said quickly, seeing the incredulous look on Finn's face. "Ask Snap when we get back to base - he's a decent cook."

"I'll do that," Finn said, chuckling. 'You'll forgive me if I don't take Toxic Burn Boy's word on how to cook," after he spoke he held his breath, but before he had a chance to let worry set in, Poe laughed and Finn felt his tension drain away before it even built up.

Finn's only punishment was a napkin lobbed at his chest, which he caught easily and tossed back with a laugh.

* * * * * * * * * *

After breakfast, Finn went off to clean the dishes and check on BB1 while Poe pulled on his shirt from the night before, planning to change properly once they got to the planet. 

When he saw Finn again, his friend was fully dressed - black slacks and a dark plum shirt that Poe's father had given him a few years ago. The worry on his friend's face gave him pause, however. "Everything okay?"

"She was in low power mode in the cargo hold," Finn said as he sat in the jump seat. 

"Just, resting maybe?" Poe suggested but doubted that was the case.

"No, she didn't respond, and when I got her into the charging station, it indicated virtually dead battery."

"That's not … she's been practically living in that thing, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," Finn's fingers drummed nervously and Poe reached to take his hand. 

"We'll figure out what's going on. It's still nighttime, planetside, so it'll be a few hours after we land before I can see my contact," he assured him. "We can probably find a droid shop, they have longer hours than most," he said.

"Good, thanks," Finn said and Poe could see him relaxing. "I worry. I meant what I said, at Jax's place. I lost so much, I just want to hold on tight to what I've got."

Poe leaned in, one hand on Finn's cheek, the other holding Finn's hand as he brushed a kiss to his cheek. "I know, sweetheart," he murmured. "I'm doing the same thing," he promised, wishing he had the balls to kiss him properly again, but that would lead to a conversation he wasn't sure he was ready for.

Sliding back into his seat, Poe soon had the ship navigating it's way through traffic and settling into a bare spot not far from the city. It was still full dark outside when Poe stood. "I'm gonna wash up," He told Finn, giving him a squeeze on the shoulder as he passed.

In the small bathroom, Poe stripped and stepped under the into the shower, keeping the water just this side of freezing. In difficult moments like this he wondered at the wisdom of taking Finn on this trip. It had seemed a great idea - get to know the man, and let the man learn about the world he'd been denied for over two decades, without being overwhelmed as might be the case on the station. And it gave Finn something to do other than sit around and be the ex stormtrooper. 

No one would dare express it directly to him anymore, but he knew there was some distrust because of Finn's past. No stormtrooper had ever defected before, not a clone, not when adults were recruited, and not now when nearly the entire army was stolen babies.

He flexed his fist, recalling with a stab of shame as he recalled the one time it *was* expressed directly to him. 

Poe had just come out of Finn's room at medical after visiting his unconscious friend. He'd seen the sneer on the x-wing technician's face and Poe hadn't even had to ask before the man spoke. 

"Shoulda left him with his buddies on that mud ball," he growled.

"We only stopped it because of him, Trask," Poe had said as evenly as he could.

"We would have worked something out. We blew up two death stars without any traitors in our camps." 

"From the official view of the republic, we're all traitors, and so was the rebel alliance." Poe wanted to punch that smug look off his face, fist already clenched but held at his side.

"You calling me a traitor, flyboy?" Trask had tried to use his superior height to intimidate Poe, standing over him with a glower.

"No, I'm calling you a moron." Raised as he was by a Pathfinder, and generally scrappy, Poe was not intimidated in the least.

Poe had ducked the swing but when he came up, it was to land a bow to Trask's jaw hard enough to knock the tech unconscious and break Poe's knuckle with the force of it. 

After medical had released him, he'd gotten an earful from the General in the command room for fighting. And a drink from Leia in private for standing up for Finn - and not actually taking the first swing.

Poe's thumb rubbed the knuckle as he recalled the incident. It was well healed now but still hurt if he pushed on it just right. After that, though, no one had expressed anything less than support for Finn to Poe's face, and even within his hearing. But he knew they were there, heard whispers from Snap and Jess and some others.

He'd worried that leaving Finn there alone would leave him without any defenders on the ground. The General was squarely in his court, and that counted for a lot, but Poe knew she was too busy to fuss too much over one ex stormtrooper.

So Poe had brought Finn with him, hoping to bond with him, become friends and get to know each other. And they were doing that, he was coming to like the man more and more. But Poe hadn't foreseen the degree of sexual tension, the occasionally blinding physical attraction he would be feeling. Finn was attractive, he'd known that from the start. Even only knowing his face and name, even still throbbing all over from the First Order's tender mercies, he'd seen how handsome Finn was. 

Poe still hadn't been prepared for how quickly his awareness of that handsomeness would morph into a deeper, stomach curling need. And he was developing a serious fondness for seeing Finn wrapped in his clothes. He'd never expected to see that jacket again, and then he'd seen it and Finn together, and it wasn't his jacket anymore. It was Finn's jacket. 

But Poe still felt a wave of undeserved possession when FInn wore it. It was Finn's now but Poe had given it to him. It was Finn's *because* of Poe. And Finn wore it proudly and well. According to Rey, when the medics took him out of it was the first time she'd seen him without it on.

Poe rested his forehead on the chilled metal of the shower wall and sighed. He had to stop thinking about Finn like that, especially now, because the cold water was proving utterly useless. He shook his head, imagined the smell of slightly singed wookie that had clung to Chewie, and finished washing quickly.

After dressing, he was toweling off his hair as he approached the cockpit. He could hear Finn muttering and slowed his steps.

"... over here if I need to stabilize …" Finn muttered. "And this is … this one is the fuel .. pump? … and this is the astrolabe …"

"Gold star for the student," Poe said with a smile, taking the jump seat before Finn could stand to give him the pilot's seat. 

"I want to help fly," he said sheepishly. "So you can relax and not have to sleep in the cockpit all the time."

Poe vigorously toweled his hair again so he wouldn't kiss Finn for a moment. "I'd like that," he finally said. "I mean, I don't mind. We can always get a hotel sometimes if it's really bad, but … I'd love to have you as a copilot."

Finn smiled and Poe decided to quiz him for a few minutes. Standing, he leaned one arm on the back of Finn's chair, his other reaching around to point at bits of the control board, asking Finn what they were for, and in what situations they were used in. He mostly got everything right, which was impressive. "Really are a quick study," He said as he settled back, draping the towel to dry.

"You have to be to survive in the First Order," Finn said casually but Poe could see the flash of darkness in his eyes. And the choice of words - survive, not make it or succeed. 

"Ready to see what we can find in the way of droid parts?" Poe asked finally, since they both seemed to be some semblance of ready.

"Yeah, should we leave her here or …?"

"Might be best to take her with us, there's a small hover cart in the cargo hold we can put her on, since she's having battery issues right now,"

Thus decided, they loaded BB1 - charger station and all - onto the cart.

The sky was just starting to darken with predawn as they strode down the ramp of the ship and towards the slowly waking market district. They quickly located a droid maintenance shop, and only had to wait ten minutes for it to open.

Finn again found himself left out of the conversation somewhat. The shopkeeper didn't speak standard but Poe could understand the keepers language. Though unlike previously, Poe was translating, one hand on Finn's arm.

"We're looking for parts for a BB unit, early run," he told the shopkeeper. The little creature trilled at Poe, head bobbing. "He says they have some parts but they're mostly old," he told Finn. "Old is fine, we have an earlier model," He nudged the tray cloer. BB1 was looking a bit cheerier, her charge bar indicated one quarter charge. "And she's having some battery problems." 

The creature trilled and chirped, gills fluttering as he pulled the cart closer, Finn quickly loosening the gravity holds so the shopkeeper could pull it down to its height to examine it more closely. A brief exchange of beeps and trills and Finn could tell permission had been granted.

After tiny fingers probed the droid, apparently absorbing any shocks, the shopkeeper drew back and Poe bristled at the angry expression. A glance at Finn and he could tell even he could read the shopkeeper's anger.

A burst of harsh trilling and flapping gills and Poe winced at the barrage. "Hey hey hey," He finally said when he realized the shopkeeper was blaming him. "We've had the droid for two days," he said. "She was in bad shape, not being well kept, and even more dirt clogged than she is now. Ask her," he said.

BB1 gave a few slow chirps, her battery already reading near empty again. 

*[ They are helping me ]* Poe leaned in, whispering a translation for Finn.

[Are you sure they haven't dodged your programming?] Poe provided the shopkeeper's translation as well, whispering the conversation, one hand on Finn's back.

*[ I'm sure most of my cards were gone Master Finn's friend cleaned my insides and reinstalled them ]*

"Now he's asking which one is master Finn," Poe murmured. "She told him the darker one, you of course." He smiled.

[Let me look inside, see what kind of damage he did,] Poe managed not to take umbrage at the veiled insult, aided by Finn's hand on his back.

"He's got teeny tiny fingers," Finn's whispered softly in Poe's ear. "He probably feels anything bigger is like going after her with a mallet."

"I know, buddy," Poe assured him with a smile, leaning closer to the other man as they watched. The trills and beeps and chirps that followed were mostly a word or two confirming the droid's state and reactions to various stimulation from the shopkeeper.

[One of the originals] he finally said, closing the last panel he'd been working on. [I have some pieces, but you'll need customization that I can't do. I can give you a cleaning kit, and what parts I have, I'm sure we can make a good deal. Unles you'd be willing to part with her?] 

"No, we're taking her with us. I've got a BB8 unit at home, I know how to maintain one," he assured the shopkeeper after mostly translating for Finn. 

[I'll pay good, she's an antique, a grand old lady,] "She is that," Poe agreed, "but she's also Finn's, and she's coming with us, just sell us what parts you have, and the kit, please,"

By the time they emerged, it was daylight out, Poe squinting against the brightness as they stepped out of the dim shop. They had a sack tied to the back of the cart, containing all of the older BB parts the shopkeeper had, a cleaning kit, and a few other things they might need for the ship, and some newer, if used, BB8 parts for Poe's droid. And a recommendation to get her to a top of the line droid shop to have the battery looked at.

"You wanna come with us, girl, or go back to the ship?" Poe asked. 

*[ Come with you? ]*

"Hey, I think I understood that," Finn said. "She wants to go with us, right?"

Poe and BB1 both cheered and Poe patted his back. "Good job, Buddy, by the time we get home, you'll understand binary as well as I do, " he grinned.

They went single file down the street, Poe leading, Finn behind with the cart between them.

Poe stopped them at a shop called Obsidian Orders. "Time to get you a suit or two," Poe said with a smile as he pushed open the door.

The man in the shop was seated, carefully hand stitching a rich green brocade trim onto a velvet jacket. "Good morning, welcome to Obsidian Orders!" He said cheerily as he stood. His skin was grey, with thick ridges around his eyes and along his chin, and a small spoon like impression on his forehead, between two more heavy ridges. "I'm Garak and you're both clearly in need of my services," he said, giving them broad, welcoming gesture and an even broader smile.

"I'm Poe Dameron," Poe said. "We've come for some private fittings, no appointment but we're expected." 

That broad, welcoming smile froze, and there was no perceptible change, but suddenly there was something else in his eyes something deeper and just a little bit dark. "I see," he nodded. "Julian!" He called, stepping towards a curtained area. "My dear doctor, I need you to look after the front for a while," he said to someone hidden for a moment.

Poe raised an eyebrow at the human who emerged, brushing closer than necessary as he passed the tailor. "You're just lucky the clinic's closed today," the human said but his voice was fond and carried a smile.

"I'm lucky every day the clinic is closed, Doctor," the tailor responded with a smile that felt slightly less false to Poe than the others he'd seen so far.

"Elim." There was a fond, care-worn tone as the doctor shook his head.

"I know, my dear, not in front of the customers, but these lovely gentleman aren't ordinary customers," he said.

The human doctor turned for the first time, taking in the pair of them. His eyes flashed with slight recognition. "I see," he nodded. "I'll mind the shop for you, of course," he assured the tailor with a squeeze to his bicep. 

"It's a bit crowded back here, gentleman, the good doctor will look after the droid for you," the tailor said, holding aside the curtain.

Poe found himself stepping in front of Finn - the soldier trained in hand to hand combat - to make their way into the room. They needed what Garak could provide, and him being a tailor was a good excuse for a visit, but something about him set Poe off in a way he hadn't anticipated, and he felt the need to keep Finn safe.

Once they were both in the small room, Garak let go of the curtain, and thumbed a hidden button, and a small flash of blue static in the doorway indicated a sound block. "There, now we can talk freely," he said, turning to critically eye the two men. 

Poe stood straight, arms crossed, and he realized that Finn was standing in parade rest. Feet apart, back straight, arms behind his back, one hand curled around the other and Poe recognized it as a kind of armor. "We're here for information," Poe said, wanting to move this along.

"Interesting pair you are," the tailor mused as if Poe hadn't spoken. "Soldier, and a pilot if ever I knew one," he said, nodding to Finn and Poe respectively. "I do have a weakness for military fellows, but then you two aren't standard military, are you? At least ..." he eyed Poe, "You aren't. Not anymore. You …" he stepped closer to Finn. "You're a soldier born and bred, aren't you?" he said. "Yes … you first," he declared.

"Him first for what?" Poe unwrapped his arms and moved between the two of them slightly.

"Measurements, of course, my dear. I can't make you a suit without measurements. And I do them the old fashioned way. Not because I can't afford a sizing booth, but because I find the personal touch makes for a better end product. Now if you'll come stand here, young man …" Garak indicated the center of the room. 

Finn didn't move until Poe turned his head, stepping aside a little and nodding. "We do need to get you a suit, sweetheart," Poe said, his reason for the endearment two fold. To put Finn more at ease, and to make some kind of claim on Finn. 

The first goal seemed to work, Finn relaxing just slightly before stepping forward. If the tailor noticed the claiming note, he made no sign of it. Once Finn stood - again at attention - where Garak indicated, he pulled a long tape from around his neck.

"Arms straight, my dear, have you never been measured?" He drew one of Finn's arms out straight from his shoulder and Finn followed suit with the other one. 

"No, sir," Poe couldn't help but notice the clipped way Finn spoke. Not rude, but he was more ill at ease than Poe had seen him, possibly ever.

"We're here for information," Poe reminded him. "The General will pay, she said she knew better than to expect any kind of charity from you."

"I'm hurt!" The tailor said as he measured the width of Finn's arms, along the top and under. 

Poe felt the slightest stab of pleasure when he saw that Finn *didn't* seem to have ticklish pits. It was silly to be possessive of Finn's ticklish spots, but he was. 

"And I recall when she was a princess. Lovely, though she didn't have the taste in fine clothing that a princess ought," he mused as he measured Finn's waist.

"She's still lovely as she ever was," Poe bit out. The more Garak manhandled Finn, the less Poe liked the whole incident.

"Of course she is! True women of grace only improve with age. Still, a shame she has so little use for the services of a tailor."

"She has *some* use for the services of *this* tailor," Poe admitted grudgingly. "Just not as a tailor."

"I know what she needs, young man, and she'll get it. I know what happened to the Hosnian system. Bad business, that. Never good to be so obvious. Lucky for your General that the weapon was destroyed before a second attack could be launched."

"Poe's the main reason it was destroyed," Finn said and Poe met his gaze in the mirror, smiling a little.

"Is he?" Garak said, eyes widening as if this were new and exciting information. "Then I must give you a discount on the suits! Anything for a hero of the hour," he said.

"He's overstating it," Poe said, keeping his gaze locked with Finn, drawing comfort from it, and seeing Finn relax slightly as it was prolonged. "Finn had as much to do with it as I did," he said.

"Really?" Again the breathless interest as Garak moved to measure Finn's chest, arms wrapping around him in an approximation of a hug from behind and Poe felt himself bristle against his will. "Well, two heros in my humble shop! I must tell Julian later!"

"I'm no hero," Poe heard Finn say quietly and he itched to reach for him. Half to hug him, and half to shake him because to Poe, Finn was the very definition of a hero.

"Oh, I think young Poe would disagree with that," Garak said to him as he hit a button near the mirror, and the platform Finn stood on rose by about a foot as Garak knelt.

"Poe's the real hero," Finn asserted, eyes widening a bit, seeking out Poe's.

Poe found himself stepping away from the wall, not close enough to interfere, but needing to be closer to Finn, seeing the distress as Garak began measuring his legs.

"I have no doubt that you're both heros in your own right. To others, not just to each other," Garak said, one hand holding the tape to Finn's inner ankle, the other drawing the tape slowly up Finn's leg. Poe caught the look from the tailor and had to bite back a growl. The grey bastard knew what he was doing. Poe had been measured for suits before - by hand, too - and they didn't take this long.

"Be that as it may," Poe said, back straight, arms still crossed over his chest, everything about his posture defensive, ready for a fight. "If you know about the Hosnian system, you know what we're in need of."

"I do indeed. When you messaged me of your arrival, I assembled what information I thought might be useful, and some extra besides. I even picked dear Julian's brains from a more officially military standpoint. And a medical one." 

Garak rose to his feet, giving Finn another once over, eyes darting to each spot he'd measured, and Poe could see him running the mental checklist in his mind.

"Now your pilot's turn," Garak said to Finn, lowering the platform so he could step off. 

Finn hopped off before it was lowered all the way, and Poe ached to pull him into a hug. "You okay, sweetheart?" He whispered, contenting himself with a hand on his shoulder, and a quiet whisper.

Finn took a steadying breath and nodded. "I'd much prefer the booth," he whispered and Poe nodded. 

"If he's any good," Poe said, giving the tailor a sidelong glance "He's done measuring you," he promised.

"Your faith in me is overwhelming, young man," Garak said dryly. "You may take a moment if you wish, I need to see what fabrics I have for his exquisite coloring," Garak said, ducking into through a darkened alcove. The light came on and Poe could see a blinding array of fabrics. 

"Something colorful," Poe said, smiling faintly at Finn, still holding his shoulders.

"Of course, anything less would be a waste," Garak called.

Finn gave a smile, faint, but it reached his eyes and Poe was glad. "Thanks," he said, his hands resting on Poe's waist. "I don't need everything to be colorful."

"But you like color," Poe said before FInn could protest further. "Your whole face lights up whenever you see anything really colorful," and Finn's shy smile made Poe's heart jump a little.

"Am I that obvious?" Finn asked, head ducking shyly.

"Only to me, sweetheart," Poe assured him, a hand moving from shoulder to cheek.

Finn's mouth was open to speak when Poe saw Garak moving close again, several fabrics draped over his arm.

"Come into the light, young man," Garak said, a hand on Finn's arm drawing him away, flashing Poe a knowing look. 

When he had Finn positioned, he again faced the triple mirrors, back to Poe. The tailor draped various swatches of fabric over Finn's shoulders, letting them rest there for a moment as he made mental notes. He manhandled Finn a few times, and Poe fully believed he did it on purpose. Poe's fingers dug into his elbows as he watched. The tailor had a handsome man of his own, why was he bent on making Finn so uncomfortable?

"Yes … these will do nicely, I think," he'd set aside two swatches of shimmery fabric - one a rich, royal purple, the other a dark red that actually resembled the mixed emblem on Poe's arm. "If you two would switch, I'll take young Dameron's measurements next," Garak said as he ducked in to put away the rejected fabrics.

Meeting in the middle Poe gave Finn another squeeze of comfort before he stood in the center of the room, making sure to place himself between the room Garak was in, and Finn, and making sure he'd be able to see his friend in the mirror no matter where the tailor stood.

"Now," Garak said as he took out his measuring tape again. "Your coloring is similar to my dear doctors," he said as he began to measure Poe.

Poe could see Finn's face, but was almost disappointed that he didn't seem as uneasy with it as Poe had been during Finn's measurements. Then Poe realized Finn was no longer standing at parade rest. Nor even at attention. He'd matched Poe's earlier stance. Back straight, arms crossed over his chest, hands on elbows. His fingers trembled slightly with the force of that grip.

"What's what supposed to mean?" Poe asked defensively, keeping himself in position to be measured as quickly as possible, though Garak wasn't taking the hint.

"It means I already know what kinds of fabric will look the best on you. I take great pride in dressing the doctor as well as can be. He looks so good when I'm done, I don't even mind when his patients bleed on him. It's just an excuse to make him something else," Garak said cheerfully.

"I don't need anything fancy," Poe said, managing not to grind the words out.

"No, you're quite attractive enough on your own. I might be a bit biased, it appears I have a type," Garak said. "You keep your hair a bit longer, though. More to hold onto, I suppose," he said and Poe wished he could choke the tailor on those words, rather than nearly choking himself. He didn't like FInn's confused brow furrow and wished he could soothe it away.

Still, Poe was tired of being pushed. "Guess he doesn't like you having something to hold onto," he all but growled. 

For his trouble, Poe's near challenge was greeted by a bark of laughter. "Touche, young man, but fear not, the good doctor is a *deeply* skilled anatomist," Garak said with a knowing smirk.

Finally Garak finished measuring them and lowered the platform under Poe. He jumped down, moving quickly to stand beside Finn. "Come back in two hours, gentleman, you'll have everything you came for."

Poe nodded, grabbing FInn's arm and all but dragging him into the main part of the shop.

The doctor - Julian - was seated at the counter, chatting easily with a customer, jotting notes about sizes and fabrics the customer was interested in. "Oh, are you done?" He asked them with a smile and Poe wondered what a charming doctor was doing with a man Poe found to be rather unsettling.

"Yes, he said to return in two hours," Poe said, keeping Finn close even as he kept himself in between Finn and … everything else.

"Excellent," he said with a smile. Then he addressed the customer. "I think I have everything I need, madam, I'll make sure Garak gets the order as soon as possible," he said, and the woman responded in a language Poe didn't understand, but the man clearly did.

Once she was gone, he turned to Poe and Finn, who were checking with BB1. He stood and crossed the shop to them. "I'm sorry he made you uncomfortable," he said quietly. "He can come on a bit strong sometimes, especially when I've been working too much at the clinic. I know you two are here for more than suits. Bad business what's happened," He fished a chip out of his pocket and offered it to them. "I know he's got more for you, but these are some contacts who might be able to help from a medical side."

Poe relaxed, though he didn't move from between Finn and the doctor. "Thank you," he said sincerely, taking the chip and passing it to Finn who tucked it into his jacket pocket. "I'll see you in two hours," he said, not sure he'd bring Finn back, knowing how uncomfortable Garak made him.

"I look forward to it," Julian sand with an honest smile.

Poe gave a nod before ushering Finn and BB1 ono the now bustling street.

* * * * * * * * * *

The way he responded to Poe's touch, Finn had been rather surprised to learn he did NOT like the tailor's closeness. And suddenly the press of people outside the shop wasn't the comforting swirl of color and sound he'd expected, but just this side of overwhelming. 

Poe seemed to pick up on that, and before Finn was entirely aware of what was going on, he was seated on a park bench, leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees as he breathed deep. Poe was crouched in front of him, hands on Finn's shoulders. "It's okay, sweetheart," he was murmuring. "I've got you, it'll be alright," and Finn clung to those words. As he became more aware, he clung to Poe himself.

"What happened?" He asked when he felt something like himself again. The feeling of overwhelming terror was gone, replaced only by a feeling of being drained in a way he hadn't felt since stormtrooper conditioning.

"If I had to guess, I'd say a panic attack, sweetheart," Poe said, caressing Finn's cheek, eyes filled with concern.

"I'm sorry. I've never … that's never happened before. I don't … I didn't like him so close," he admitted softly, feeling a blush of shame. He liked when Poe was close - the closer the better - and he'd liked Rey's hugs, and even Chewbacca's hovering nearness, or the General's comforting presence. Even the press of a crowd had never bothered him yet. But the tailor had set off every alarm in Finn and it was only his focus on Poe that kept him from reacting too strongly. Or so he'd thought. Apparently, it had just postponed it.

"I didn't like him touching you either, sweetheart," Poe murmured and Finn took comfort in the endearment. 

His arms slid from his knees to Poe's waist, pulling him into a hug, only the second he'd initiated. Poe came easily, leaning forward, between Finn's legs, tucking his chin into Finn's neck, allowing Finn to do the same. One arm was around Poe's waist, the other slid up to rest just below his neck.

It took a few minutes of taking in Poe's warmth and smell before FiInn could straighten again. "Why were we even there?" He asked quietly. "What intel could a tailor have, really?"

"He wasn't always a tailor. He used to be an intelligence agent for the old republic," Poe said. "The General's father knew him before Garak retired and started his shop. And tailors are actually excellent information sources in their own rights. Being slightly vulnerable with someone has a way of engendering trust, so they can be chatty with friendly tailors. From what I understand, he generally *is* friendly. I think …" Poe grimaced. "I think he was trying to get a rise out of us," Poe admitted.

"Why?" Finn breathed, wishing he knew more about how people were. He was picking up a bit from just being in the world but Poe was still his main - and preferred - source.

When Poe didn't answer right away, Finn worried he'd overstepped some line. Then he felt Poe's hands gently rubbing at his sides through his shirt. "He could tell I didn't like him touching you," Poe said quietly. "It made you uncomfortable, and I *really* didn't like that. But … I didn't like it even before I saw how uneasy you were. I know I don't have the right to be jealous," Poe continued, now unable to meet Finn's eyes.

"I don't mind," Finn said quietly, and he didn't. "I didn't like him touching me. Or being close. I didn't like him at all, really," Finn admitted, the knot in his stomach loosening a little. 

"I don't think he went out of his way to be likable. He knew we needed him and his information," Poe sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't think it would go this way. The general told me his history but I guess he didn't upset her the way he did us."

"I felt like he had knew some dirty secret about us," Finn admitted. "And … I didn't like him touching you, either," he breathed quietly, relaxing a little when Poe smiled. "I don't know how … relationships work but I didn't mind on the base, with your friends, but him …" He flushed and looked away, shivering a little when Poe's hands moved from his sides to his back, their bodies pressing a bit more together, Poe between his legs as Finn sat on the low bench. "I didn't like his hands on you," Finn whispered, his face tucked into Poe's neck, arms around him.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Poe whispered against his neck and Finn shivered at both the proximity and the endearment. "I like that you didn't like it,"

"Why?" he whispered. "We're just … just friends, that's not the kind of thing that bothers friends, is it?"

Poe's silence had Finn's stomach tighten again, even more so when he drew back, putting a bit of distance between them so they could look each other in the eye. "I don't know exactly what we are, Finn, but I don't think just friends covers it anymore," Poe murmured, eyes conflicted as they met Finn's.

When Finn heard that, he felt a tension drain from his whole being he hadn't been aware of. "I was … I know I don't have much … to go on," he admitted, feeling his lack of experience keenly. "But the way I feel about you isn't … at all like I feel about anyone else. I like Rey, a lot, and I think about her a lot, but it's … abstract. How is she doing, has she found Luke, is she happy?" He explained. "With you … I want to know you're happy, too, but I want to … make you happy. I like being the reason you smile, or laugh." As he'd confessed, Finn's eyes had fallen closed, not wanting to see Poe's reaction, worried it wouldn't be good.

Finn shivered a bit when Poe's forehead came to rest against his own and his eyes finally fluttered open, meeting Poe's. "I've been … I know you haven't been in the world much, Finn," Poe began. "But I wanted to let you figure things out, being the world some more, figure out …. Who you were and what you wanted before I tried to … let you know how I felt," he whispered.

"And how do you feel?" Finn asked, voice catching in his throat a little, thinking - hoping - he already knew.

"The same way you do. I want to make you smile, and laugh, and make you happy. And other things besides," he added, eyes crinkling as Poe smiled.

"Like kissing?" Finn breathed, realizing their faces were close enough, feeling Poe's breath on his.

"Like kissing," Poe whispered. "And not just on the chee-"

With that permission, Finn couldn't hold back any longer and pressed his mouth to Poe's. He was unskilled, he knew it, but he followed Poe's example from Jax's. He felt Poe's head tilt just slightly and the kiss suddenly felt that much better. He wasn't sure if the brush of tongue from their first kiss had been a mistake or not, and didn't want to get it wrong, so he kept his lips closed. Finally he drew back, swallowing tightly as he gazed at Poe. "Not on the cheek," he whispered, his voice quiet.

"Finn, sweetheart," Poe's voice was rough, ragged in a way Finn had never heard before. "Probably best if we don't kiss in public," Finn felt a part of him wilt as Poe continued. "I don't want us brought up on indecency charges," and the wilting stopped, turned into a gentle warmth. "Because I'm learning very quickly that when I kiss you, I don't want to stop," he said.

To avoid kissing him again, Finn pulled him into a tight hug, chins fitting against shoulders as they held each other, arms tight around one another. 

* * * * * * * * * *

The longer Poe held Finn, with Finn's taste still on his lips, the more he felt the tension drain from his body. They weren't out of the relationship woods yet, they still had a lot of ground to cover and he would insist - much as it might kill him - on going slowly. He wanted Finn to be fully informed about everything, to make sure Finn wanted it all, every step of the way. He suspected the general would have words for him about taking advantage of Finn. Thankfully he wouldn't have to deal with his father until he and Finn were both good and ready.

After several long moments of breathing together, Poe drew back, smiling at Finn. "Want to get something to eat, we still have an hour before we need to get back," he said. And somehow, after his talk with Finn, he felt much better about being in Garak's space. He'd never worried that the spy-cum-tailor would steal Finn, but with their mutual jealousy out in the open, they'd be a lot harder to rattle.

"Yeah," Finn nodded, looking a little grateful for the distraction. "And maybe some shopping?" He added. "I want to get some frames for the shuttle photos," he smiled shyly and Poe kissed his cheek before standing, pulling Finn to his feet.

"Shopping is good. We can get something quick to eat," he suggested, lacing their fingers once they were both standing.

"Sweetair?" Finn asked and Poe laughed at the sheer joy in his eyes. 

"Sweetheart," Poe chuckled, the endearment coming more easily now that there was a new understanding between them, "There's so much more than sweetair, and I aim to make sure you experience every single one of them," he promised, bringing their laced fingers to his lips and pressing a kiss to Finn's, watching him smile shyly.

In the end, they didn't get much shopping done. When no appealing food was found via street vendors, they ducked into a cafe, and Poe introduced Finn to the sin of flavored coffee, and an array of pastries and cookies.

It was a little difficult, listening to Finn make rather sinful noises over the sweet treats, but it was worth it for the smile on his face. Getting a box of assorted cookies to go, they added it to the cart along side BB1. After getting fresh coffees, they made their way back towards Obsidian Orders.

At Finn's lingering glance at at a colorful jewelry display, Poe tugged him into the shop. The items in the window were well out of their range, but the items within the shop were cheaper. In the end, they each purchased one and a half pieces. Finn found a small shimmery wing, strung on black chain that he got for Poe. In turn, Poe found a brightly colored bracelet for Finn. 

Poe spotted a deep, blue-green colored stone partially wrapped in wire and strung on a chain. "When you were in the medical wing, before she left, Rey and I spent a few hours waiting for you," he told Finn. "She said that when the Falcon landed at Maz's was the most water she'd ever seen at once with her own eyes. But that she dreamed of a huge ocean every night.”

Finn stood beside him, a hand on Poe's back, shoulders pressed together. "She didn't know there was that much green in the whole galaxy," He said, picking up the stone and seeing how it twinkled between blue and green.

"Split it?" Poe offered and Finn kissed his cheek before they finalized the three purchases. Both men wore their gifted jewelry out proudly, and the necklace for Rey was gift wrapped carefully in a keepsake box, tucked into Finn's pocket rather than trusted to the hover tray.

Second coffees empty, they disposed of them before finally making their way back to Obsidian Orders.

The main shop was empty, the doctor behind the counter, with Garak fussing over displays. "Gentleman!" He said cheerily when he saw them enter, droid in tow. "Your suits are ready, if you'll come this way," he urged, beckoning them into a room opposite the measuring room. Once inside, he presented Finn with a rich purple suit in a velvety material. "If you would try this on so I can get the final measurements," he said. 

Poe felt proud of Finn, his friend seemed relatively unfazed by Garak compared to earlier. He didn't tense up the way he had before, and simply approached the suit laid out on the shelf. "I'll just leave you gentlemen, call me when you're done," he said, departing the room with as much ease as he'd caused tension before.

Again showing his extreme lack of body modesty, Finn shrugged off his jacket, handing it to Poe before pulling the shirt off over his head. Poe's mouth went dry at the sight again, and his brain only re-started when Finn's hands went to his belt buckle. "I should let you do this alone," He murmured, setting Finn's clothes on the chair beside him. "I think I'd be too tempted to kiss you if I saw any more than that. I'm already tempted," he blurted before sliding out of the door, making sure not to let anyone peek.

"You aren't going to help your friend?" Garak asked with a raised eyebrow ridge.

Poe just smirked "I'm sure you'd rather we not get any stains on your carpet," he muttered, and much to his satisfaction, the good doctor choked on his drink at Poe's words. While Garak attended to his lover, Poe moved back to the doorway, leaning against the wall just beside it, not unlike a sentry on guard.

After what he judged to be enough time for Finn to change, Poe poked his head. Seeing Finn's back to the door as he shrugged on the suit jacket, he stepped in and closed the door behind him. "Looks good from here," he said.

"Thanks," Finn said, fiddling with something, and when he turned Poe's mouth went dry.

The suit set off his dark skin perfectly, but what really shorted Poe's brain was the black leather glove he was tugging onto one hand. The only slight - very slight - flaw in Finn's perfection was the untied tie at his neck, and Poe realized he might not know how to tie it. Fancy dress wasn't something one learned at stormtrooper bootcamp, he imagined. 

Seeing the look on his face, Finn smiled shyly. "I don't know how …" he gestured at the tie, then began to tug the other glove on. They'd been beside the suit and fit him as well as it did.

"Let me," Poe's voice was a bit hoarse but he managed the words before stepping forward. After three failed attempts, he realized what was wrong. He tried to speak again, but words were beyond him so he moved around to stand behind Finn. Hands met broad shoulders and he fitted himself behind the other man. He let himself nuzzle Finn's hair, hearing the other man's breath hitch. Poe found the ends of the tie and was able to knot it with one try. The angle was a bit awkward but he wasn't trying to work backwards this time. The most distracting part was Finn's heat and gentle weight against his chest.

"You smell good," he whispered before he forced himself to step away, swallowing tightly. He took hold of Finn's shoulders, turning him to face the set of mirrors and walk him a bit closer to it. 

Poe watched as Finn had to regain his own thought process as he looked himself over. "I like the color," he said a little hoarsely.

"Well, I'm certainly glad of that," came Garak's voice from the doorway. He circled Finn, Poe stepping out of the way if only to make this process over more quickly. "Excellent," he said, giving the occasional tug, adjusting the fit of the suit to perfection. Though to Poe's mind, perfection had been achieved the second Finn put it on. "Perfect fit," Garak declared smugly as he stepped back.

"Do you want to wear this one out or change back… into that?" Garak gave his old clothes a dismissive wave.

"I'll change back," Finn said, swallowing tightly and Poe smiled slightly.

"The rest of your order is here," Garak said, finger tapping a small black chip on top of three white boxes, their other suits, apparently. Beside the pile was an open box for the suit Finn wore.

"Thank you," Poe said with a nod, moving to gather up the boxes, and the chip, following Garak out so Finn could dress.

* * * * * * * * * *

Alone in the dressing room, Finn took a deep breath. He liked the suit, and he loved Poe's reaction to it, but right now he didn't want to be in a suit brought for him, made for him. He wanted to be wrapped up in Poe's old clothes. He didn't know exactly why, but he liked wearing Poe's old clothes, clothes given to him by his friend. It was a reminder of the friendship, and to the promise of more. And taking the time to change would give him time to recover his thoughts. Even as he shrugged the jacket off, he recalled the press of Poe's chest against him, his arms around to tie the knot at his throat. 

The bracelet Poe got him was warm against his wrist already as he changed, and the weight was comfortable, as if it had been there all his life. He smiled, recalling the jeweled wing currently resting on Poe's throat.

Opening the door, he shrugged on the jacket. The suit was draped carefully over the chair his old clothes had been on. "I don't know how to fold the suit," He said as he emerged, feeling a tiny stab of satisfaction that the tailor would have to do a bit of extra work. Garak bustled behind him into the room as he moved over to Poe, helping to affix everything onto the hover cart with a smile. "He picked two fabrics for me … I can't wait to see what your two look like," he murmured.

"Me too," Poe chuckled. 

Garak arrived with the final box. "I'll pay," Finn said, "You get this taken care of."

"Too late," Poe said with a cheeky smile. "Already dealt with, sweetheart," he chuckled.

Finn shook his head and chuckled. "Is there time to find a better droid shop?" He found himself asking, not liking the constant low power reading from BB1.

"Yeah," Poe nodded, a hand resting on BB1's head. "Hey, doc," he straightened, crossing to the counter the doctor still sat behind. 

"What can I help you with, Poe?" He asked with a smile, less broad but more honest than Garak's.

"We need a good droid shop. The one down the way from you guys fixed us up a little but isn't equipped to deal with our girl," He gestured to the droid on the hover cart.

"Ahh, yes," he nodded. "I wondered …" His soft accent reminded him slightly of Rey's. "Yes, I know someone who might be able to help. An old friend of mine, used to keep ships and stations running, now he spends most of his time on droid repairs," he said, writing down an address. "I'll give him a call, tell him to expect you," he added, handing the thick paper to Poe.

"Excellent, thank you, doctor," Poe said before returning to Finn. "Time to get our girl fixed up," he said with a smile as they bustled out of the shop. The address was near the airfield, so they opted to stop back at the ship to unload their purchases.

Finn decided to keep his suits in the boxes, tucking them under the bottom bunk - the only place in the cramped quarters he could find. He took a moment to flip through the pictures on his dresser. Finding a nice one of the two of them smiling, he set it on top before making his way to the cockpit. 

He'd heard Poe talking as he approached, realizing he was sending off his latest report to the general. Saying nothing, he moved to settle into the jumpseat, knowing Poe had to be aware of him.

"... about to get the droid fixed up. Attaching the information we've obtained so far. See you soon, general," Poe said before switching off.

Without being asked, Poe produced the two chips they'd obtained. "Do we want to look at it before we send it to her?"

"Yeah, we can do that tonight. I'll actually send the message to her after that, plus the last few I've made. It's easier that way - we don't want too many signals from here to there, lest people work out where the base is," he explained.

"Alright," Finn took the opportunity to move closer, setting both chips in the reading port on the cockpit for later. "Time to get our girl fixed up?" He found himself asking with a smile, liking the idea of the droid as theirs. Though Poe had BB8 and Finn technically had BB1, he preferred to think of his droid, at least, as common property.

"Yeah, hopefully the doctor's friend is as useful as he says," he said, standing, brushing close to Finn as he slid past him out of the cockpit, and Finn ducked his head to draw in his scent for a second.

They kept only the bag from the first shop containing the older BB parts and the cleaning kit, just in case.

It didn't take long to locate the address - it was directly adjacent to the spaceport, apparently old habits died hard.

As they approached, Finn saw a door open and a middle aged man with a slight spread and curly silvering dark blonde hair opened the door. "You must be Julian's friends," he said in an accent that reminded Finn slightly of Bala-Tik's, though less harsh, closer to the doctor's. "Miles O'Brien," he introduced himself.

"Poe Dameron," Poe said, extending his hand. "And this is Finn, it's his droid," he said.

"Nice to meet you boys, come on into the shop," he said. Instead of leading them inside, however, he stepped out, leading them around the building to an even larger structure behind it, almost large enough to house an x-wing, Finn noticed.

Once they were inside, Miles began to clear away several projects from one of many work benches. "Haven't worked with one of these in a while," he explained as he donned a set of goggles. "Put it here," he indicated the empty space.

"Her," Finn corrected as he lifted the droid out of the station, the faint warble making his heart clench a little. How had he become so attached to the little droid in such a short space of time?

"Her, right. Hmmm…" Miles lowered his goggles and donned a pair of gloves with a slight sheen to them. It wasn't until he saw the first tiny arc of lightning cause the gloves to shimmer that he realized what they were for. Clever. "What's the problem, boys?"

"Power, mostly. She'll charge up all night, be alright for a little while, and then just stop. She was nearly dead when we got her," Finn explained, standing uneasily at the other side of the bench, not sure what else to do. "We got her charged up with that," he nodded to the station.

"Bit big for her, innit?" He asked, flipping away one part of his goggles to look bare-eyed at the station.

"We actually got it for his droid," Finn said, glad to actually be able to handle some of the … practical things, a glance at Poe making him flush slightly at the look of pride. "A later model, with a bigger body section," he explained.

Miles grunted, standing to grab a toolbox, unfolding it to reveal neatly arranged tools. "Dirt's part of the problem," he explained. The first tool he pulled out was a small vacuum. "Whoever had her last didn't take very good care of her. I can see some cleaning's been done but she needs a near complete de-construction to properly restore her." Finn opened his mouth to protest but Miles continued. "I'll keep the core workings intact, of course," He promised. "But I'll need to take most of the casings off, remove the camera unit."

"How long will that take?" Poe asked, stepping up beside Finn, shoulders brushing together.

"Just the cleaning is gonna be a few hours, if you want it done right," he explained. "And once that's done, I'll have to look into the battery problem, that might be an easy fix, it might not," he said. As he spoke, he'd been running the vacuum over the droid, puffs of smoke coming out at intervals - the small tool burning away the particles after sucking them up.

"We want it done right," Poe asserted and Finn nodded with agreement.

"Alright," Miles said as he continued to gently prod the droid. After a few more minutes he put the vacuum tool down and lifted his goggles up to his head. "Tell you boys what, unless you have a pressing need to have her back tonight, how about we settle on tomorrow morning, that'll give me time to clean her, run any diagnostics, and let you know what else might need doing before then."

Finn was torn - he liked the idea of having the time to do whatever, but he wasn't sure if their schedule could tolerate that kind of delay. Poe saved him, however. "That sounds fine," the pilot said. "Our ship is the Liminality," he said, writing out the message frequency for Miles. "Let us know when you have more information,"

"I will. See you boys tomorrow," he said, redonning the goggles. "Around nine," he added. Then he went back to work.

"You gonna be alright?" Poe asked and the droid chirped gently. Finn actually understood, and Poe nodded. 

Outside, Poe smiled "Let's go check out the information and send it off to the general," he said, heading back to the ship, Finn falling easily into step beside him. 

* * * * * * * * * *

Leia received the next burst of messages and information from Poe a few hours later, just as she was getting up. 

"We've lifted off from Miranda," Poe said, and Leia was immediately aware of the bow-tight tension in Poe's whole body. "I got a good deal with Jax, one of my dad's old contacts. Details are in the attached report," he explained. "Oh, and Finn's selected his full name, if you could have his paperwork finalized. "Finn Solo Dameron," his eyes softened and Leia smiled sadly. "I hope you don't mind, General, it came up in conversation with Jax," he sighed, then shook his head. "Oh," Poe brightened considerably "I'm teaching Finn to fly. He's a fast learner, he had to be," Poe's face darkened again. "If he picks up flight as well as he picks up cooking, we might have another fighter pilot on our hands."

The message ended, and Leia finished her coffee, wondering how the rouse on Miranda had effected things between them. Poe was clearly strung tight as a bow, which wasn't often the case with him.

The next message was brief, and less mission-oriented. "He's starting to learn binary," Poe said with a beaming smile that Leia was moved to match. And what followed reminded Leia of his earlier mini rants on Finn's behalf. "And he didn't now you could sweeten coffee," he said, shaking his head. "We'll be heading to see the intelligence contact in a little while, I'll have an update after then," he promised before switching off the camera.

The third and final message began with Poe looking worried. "The droid's having some battery problems," he admitted. "We're hoping to get her fixed before we get home, Finn's getting fond of the old girl," he said, and Leia knew Poe was as well. "And we made contact with the spy," The way Poe all but spat the word was a bit surprising to Leia, he didn't normally judge like that. "He's given us good intel, but if we need more from him, send someone else, please," Poe didn't elaborate, but from what Leia recalled of him, and the delicate situation between Poe and Finn, she could hazard a guess as to what had happened. "On the upside, he's got a doctor friend who was equally helpful, and there are the names of quite a few doctors who might be willing to work for or help supply the resistance, all in the attached report, along with the information from Garak," he said. "The suit we got for Finn almost makes it worthwhile, aside from the information," Poe said, smiling broadly. It wasn't until then that Leia noticed Poe's fingers fiddling with something silvery on a chain. When his hand fell away, she looked closely and saw it was a stylized bird's wing, silver and glittering slightly. And she'd not seen it in any previous recording. Interesting. "Alright, that's all for now. We're about to get the droid fixed up. Attaching the information we've obtained so far. See you soon, general." As Poe spoke, she saw movement behind him, a flash of arm in a familiar jacket, with something colorful just visible at the end of the cuff. She could make out Finn settling into the jump seat on the other side of the cockpit just as Poe finished up. 

They were certainly more at ease in each other's space. Before she had a chance to think too much on the subject, there was a knock at her door. One of the technicians told her she had a visitor. "Says he's one of Solo's Pathfinders, General," the girl said.

Leia felt herself clench just slightly at the mention of Han. "Send him in," she said, curious to see who it was, though she had an inkling. Jax had been a friend of Poe's father, hadn't he?

"Kes Dameron," she said, standing when the man entered. He looked like an older, slightly broader version of Poe. "It's been a long time," she said.

"Too long," the man said with a nod. "I hear you're a general, now," he added with a smile. 

"It's a dirty job but someone has to do it," she nodded, she gestured him to sit and took her own seat again.

"By all accounts, you're doing as good a job as ever. Better even, to hear my boy tell it." Leia smiled at the pride in Kes' voice.

"Poe has been an invaluable asset. I knew you and Shara were keen to let him grow up in peace, but the First Order isn't so kind."

"I know, and I love that he's doing what he believes is right. I, of all people, can't fault him for that."

Leia just smiled, and decided to dispense with the small talk. "Not that it isn't good to see you, Kes, but can I ask what brought you here? Not that we can't put you to work," she said with a smile.

Kes gave a chuckle at that. "No, my Pathfinding days are done, general. But perhaps you can answer a question for me about Poe, since I'm told he isn't on base at the moment."

"Only if it isn't classified," she said carefully.

"I doubt this is. Can you explain why I've gotten not one but two messages from old friends in the last day or so, congratulating me on Poe's marriage?"

It was mostly years of training that kept Leia' face largely impassive. "I believe Poe needs to be the one to explain that," she said carefully. "But I can tell you this, the gentleman in question is very well suited to him. Poe's given him Shara's old jacket," she added softly.

"Damn," Kes said, stroking his short beard as he sat back. "That's serious. And he never mentioned it to me," Leia could read the hurt in her old friend's face.

"My understanding is that it's happened very quickly," She knew she should tell him the truth - that they'd been pretending. But at the same time, it wasn't her place to blow Poe's cover. 

"Where is he, exactly?" he asked.

"On a long term mission for me. I'll be calling him back, however, he's more than met the terms of the mission. And he can explain himself to you." 

"Excellent. I trust you wouldn't do that if it *would* compromise the mission," he gave her a nod of respect.

"If you can stay for a few days, you'll get to scold him yourself," she promised.

"If you've got somewhere to put me, I don't want to be in the way."

"There's always room for a friend, Kes," she said warmly.

"Oh … on another subject, I've heard tell that the Falcon is back in service."

Leia knew she couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes as she nodded. "It is, under Chewbacca and a young girl named Rey." She left Han's name unspoken, knowing Kes heard it anyway.

"I'm sorry, Leia," Kes said gently, leaning, elbows on his knees. "When?"

"He was on Starkiller." She left it at that, unable to voice the betrayal, the profound sense of failure and loss that came with the certain knowledge of her own son butchering his father.

Kes nodded, opting not to pick at the unspoken. Instead he reached and took Leia's hand, the contact only allowed because of the length and depths of their friendship. "If there's anything I can do, Leia" He offered gently and she just nodded, accepting the offer in the spirit it was given.

After a few moments, Leia withdrew her hand and cleared her throat. "Let me go summon Poe back before he gets too far into another system," she said.

* * * * * * * * * *

The sharp chirping from the cockpit woke Finn instantly, though the weight of Poe's arm kept him from sitting up. He could see the blinking light indicating an incoming comm. Hating to leave Poe's warmth, he was on the outside of the bunk and there wasn't room for Poe to move around him, and the other man seemed to be asleep anyway. He reluctantly eased out from under Poe's arm.

"Rem'ber how to answer?" Poe's sleepily mumbled as Finn climbed down the ladder. They'd slept on the upper bunk since Finn had stripped the bottom one for easier storage of BB1 and her station.

"Yeah, I'll let you know what he says," Finn said, assuming it was Miles calling about the droid.

He rubbed his eyes sleepily as he stumbled into the cockpit. Considering the hour - midnight planetside, the clock confirmed - he didn't feel the need to don a shirt, Miles could deal. He thumbed the accept button, the camera turning on as he sat down.

He expected the face on the other to be a broad-faced middle aged engineer. Instead he was greeted with the gracefully aged face of General Organa, causing his eyes to widen. "General!" He blurted in surprise, voice louder than intended. "I, uhm, is everything alright?" He suddenly rather desperately wished he'd moved to let Poe out to take the call, but there'd been no reason to expect this.

"Finn. I was expecting Poe, where is he?"

The question flustered Finn in a way he hadn't expected. He didn't want to say 'still in bed' even though that was the truth. He caught movement behind the general and another face came into view over her shoulder. He swallowed tightly as familiar features came into place. He'd never seen the man but he had little doubt as to who it was.

"Dad?" Poe's sleepy voice finally startled Finn back to reality.

"Poe," the man said and Finn winced, very familiar with the amount of censure that could be put into a single word, though surprised to hear it from a man with Poe's kind features. Finn glanced up at the shirtless, sleepy Poe, needing to look at something besides the two faces on the screen. He was surprised and glad when Poe's hand came to rest on Finn's shoulder, warm and heavy and calming.

As one would expect, the princess recovered herself first. "Poe, I've looked over what you've done so far and I believe it's time to end the mission, you've gotten more than we could have reasonably expected, and as you can see, certain other matters require your rather urgent attention," she said diplomatically.

"Of course, General," Poe said quietly. "We have some business to finish up here, but as soon as we're done, we'll be on our way home," He promised. He'd sounded scolded at first, but as he spoke, he sounded more alert and less chagrined.

"As quickly as you can, Gentlemen," The general said rather firmly. "If you aren't able to be on your way in twelve hours, I'll send someone to take care of the droid for you."

"Thank you, General," Poe said quietly. 

"Twelve hours, gentlemen," Leia said before ending the comm.

Finn leaned forward, folding his arms on the cockpit and pressing his face into his arms, his whole face red with embarrassment that bordered on mortification.

He felt both of Poe's hands on his shoulders, rubbing gently. "It'll be okay, sweetheart," Poe tried to assure him. "I should have realized Jax would call Dad," he sighed. He leaned in and Finn could felt a pressure to the back of his head. "This is my fault," Poe's words were slightly muffled.

Finn shifted, moving to sit up and he turned, standing and wrapping his arms around Poe, taking a steadying breath. "I thought it would be Miles," he admitted. "I figured he'd tell me what was wrong, I'd tell him to fix it and come back to bed," he sighed.

"Yeah, that's what I figured, sweetheart," Poe murmured against his neck. "Let's go back to bed," he said, drawing back just a little.

"Sounds good," he said, then gave Poe a very brief kiss. "Next time, you can answer," he said before heading back to the bunk. Deciding that Poe could have the outside this time, Finn climbed into the bunk first. The notion of each taking their own bunk didn't occur to either of them right now, and they'd have to remake the bottom one for that anyway.

It wasn't long before Poe joined him. "I'm the little spoon, now?" Finn heard the smile in Poe's voice as he climbed into the bunk in front of Finn.

It took him a minute to realize what Poe meant. "I don't … know …" he admitted, but he shouldn't have worried. Finn soon felt Poe scoot back, a callused hand caressing Finn's arm as he drew it forward. Poe's back was now pressed against Finn's chest, Poe's rump snug against Finn's hips, and Finn's arm draped comfortably around Poe's chest. "Oh, this is lovely," Finn admitted, letting his head relax, nose brushing Finn's curls, letting him smell the other man more strongly. 

Poe's torso rumbled slightly as Poe chuckled. "Isn't it?" He purred. He curled his hand around Finn's, drawing Finn's arm up to his chest and let out a slow, contented sigh.

"We'll have to switch off," Finn murmured, voice already starting to thicken with sleep. Despite the unease of the earlier call, the warmth and comfort of Poe's presence was relaxing Finn beyond all rights and he was close to letting sleep claim him. "See which way we like it best," he breathed against Poe's neck.

"I like it any way I can get you, sweetheart," Poe murmured just as sleepily, pressing a kiss to their twined hands.

Finn smiled, and as he fell asleep he was thinking of how much he liked this, Poe's body snug against his from shoulder to knee.

* * * * * * * * * *

Leia sat back when the comm ended, sighing softly. "Finn, hmm?" She heard Kes say. "What's his full name?"

Leia knew this would not make Poe's case any easier once they made it back to D'qar, but Kes deserved as much truth as she could give him. "Finn Solo Dameron. He has … something of a unique history, and your son is a very large part of it," she said. 

"The Dameron's not a surprise," He admitted, though Shara had remained Bey, not that he'd minded. "But the Solo's a surprise. Son of someone Han knew?"

"Not exactly," Leia stood, moving across to close her office door, granting them some measure of privacy.

Kes watched her and she could read the curiosity and concern on his face.

"It started during my search for Luke," she explained. "You know Poe is the best pilot I have, bar none. I sent him to retrieve something that was supposed to lead to Luke. Unfortunately, he was discovered and captured by …" She drew a shaky breath. More and more people were becoming aware of who Kylo Ren was. And who he had been, but it was still painful to tell anyone. Especially those who'd known him as a boy. "By my son, using the name Kylo Ren."

Kes didn't hide his surprise. "I'd heard there was a force user working for the First Order, but I hadn't thought it might be … I'm sorry, Leia," he said.

She shook her head, and forced herself to continue. "He was captured, and tortured by Kylo Ren," It made it easier, it shamed her to realize, to think of Kylo Ren as someone entirely divorced from her Ben. 

"Finn's who you sent to get him out?" Kes guessed.

"Finn was instrumental to Poe's rescue," she admitted. "But I didn't send him. I had no idea he existed until some time after. You see … at the time he freed your son … Finn was a stormtrooper," she could see the shock register in Kes' eyes.

"My boy's married to a clone?"

"Not a clone. According to Finn, they're mostly kidnapped children, now, raised from birth to be stormtroopers. And Finn overcame that in order to get your son out. There's more to their story but that's how Finn came to us, and how they met."

"And all of this happened …"

"Around a month and a half, two months ago," she provided.

"Really was quick," he mused. "You sure it's the real thing? This stormtrooper might not … Poe's a good man, but sometimes he can be a little short sighted when it comes to relationships."

"On Poe's part, I believe it's absolutely real, and I'll show you why later," she said, thinking of the first round of messages. "And on Finn's part … He seems very attached to your son, and it's not entirely due to a lack of exposure to others," she said. Then she explained Finn and Rey's relationship, as well as the brief times he'd been at the base in between all the rest of the chaos.

Then she showed him Poe's original videos - the ones she'd tucked away before editing.

* * * * * * * * * *

The next time there was a message, both men were awake and fully dressed, though with lips possibly more swollen than they'd been the night before. Poe smiled at the memory as he thumbed the button, listening to Finn in the background making coffee.

"The problem's the battery," came the sleep roughened voice with no preamble. "The real problem is there's no properly fixing the battery without compromising the core," he explained.

"Can you do anything?"

"I'm working on replacing what I can of the battery units, but the problem is a flaw in the design," As Miles explained, Finn brought them each a mug of coffee and joined him to listen.

"So it sounds like she'll be able to run a day or two on a full charge, now, but not weeks or months like the newer models," Finn said.

"That's right. Come by in about an hour and I should have her ready for you. I cleaned her and replaced some of her basic equipment. You'll still have half the ports for whatever else you feel is necessary. Oh, and Julian just called, says to tell you that bloody Cardie of his needs to talk to you before you leave," The grimace on the man's face told him just how he felt about the tailor.

"Alright. We'll head over there, then come see you. Thank you again," Poe said before ending the comm.

"Not a fan of Garak's," Finn observed. "Knew I liked him," he added impishly and Poe laughed.

After finishing their coffee and exchanging a few slow, light, sweet kisses, the two men were on their way back to Obsidian Orders. Early as it was, the streets were largely deserted.

"Gentlemen," Julian greeted them at the door, pushing it open for them, glancing up and down the street as they stepped inside. When the door closed, he locked it and made sure the blinds were shut.

Garak was at the counter, looking less than incredibly put together, to Poe's surprise. "Good, you're here," he said, sitting back in his chair.

"Your friend said we should see you before we left," Poe said, nodding to Julian though his eyes never left Garak.

"Yes, though I anticipated your arrival a bit sooner," He said and Poe bristled just a bit at the look. "When I have a difficult time sleeping, I monitor certain frequencies. Seldom used, but almost always worth listening in when they are. Someone of my … particular interests … old habits die hard, you understand," he said. "And as it happens, I occasionally come across the odd tidbit of information that can prove useful to others in my particular hobby field."

"Elim." Julian's voice had a faintly warning tone and Poe raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, my dear," Garak said, drawing himself up again, and speaking a bit more sharply. "I suggest the pair of you leave the planet at once. The First Order is looking for individuals matching your description," he turned his gaze to Finn. "An ex stormtrooper. I *am* impressed," he said and Poe noticed Finn bristled.

Poe himself tensed at that, mentally running over the list of everything that could go wrong. Starting with the fact that their little ship had no guns, nor was it especially fast. "What exactly do you know?"

"It's still very hush hush, the merest of whispers," This time it only took a look from the human to speed up the process. "Word has gone out to individuals of a certain nature that the First Order seeks information as to the potential whereabouts of a former stormtrooper, matching your description," he nodded to Finn "With the designation of FN-2187," he said. "And a pilot named Poe Dameron. The name and nature of their vessel is, thankfully, unknown at this time. But I can assure you, it won't be long until they have that, as well. Julian," he said, turning to the doctor. "If you would …"

Apparently this was a designated signal. He lifted a small device that reminded Poe of what they used to inoculate when you joined the Republic fleet. "This will dampen your bio signals for a few hours," he explained. "Nanite tech. Any known method of scanning and tracking will be scrambled. They won't be able to pinpoint your location more accurately than a mile. I can guarantee six hours of concealment, fading after that and absolutely nothing after twelve, so I'd advise you be well on your way by then."

Poe shared a look with Finn before he nodded, moving to roll up his sleeve. 

"Not necessary," Julian stepped forward, pressing the device to Poe's neck. A brief prick and then numbness and he was on to Finn as Poe rubbed the injection site.

"That's all, gentlemen," the doctor said, stepping back. "Miles called, your droid is ready, he'll meet you at the ship with her," he added. "Good luck,"

And with that they were ushered out of the shop. "The last time I felt like this, I thought a stormtrooper was telling me to stay calm," Poe managed with a smile.

Finn gave a dry chuckle. "And I had a blaster," he lamented.

The walk back to the ship felt much longer than the walk there, though battled steeled nerves kept either man from becoming particularly obvious about their haste.

When he saw BB1, Poe couldn't hide his smile a her cheerful blinks and beeps. "Hey, girl," he said with a smile.

*[ What's going on? ]* she chirped as they moved her up the ramp.

"We'll explain on the way," Poe said. "Right now we have to leave," Finn got her up the ramp. "Thanks," he said to Miles. "How much-"

"Nevermind, you're the reason that bloody Cardie's up at this hour, forced to do the right thing," Miles said with a somewhat malicious grin. "That's enough for me." Poe nodded and shook the man's hand. 

On the way up, the ramp was already closing and Finn was already securing BB1 in her station as Poe quickly ran through pre launch checks.

"Something uncomfortably familiar about this," Finn said as he took the jump seat, buckling in for the first time, seeing Poe had done the same.

"Tell me about it," and there Poe realized there was still that frisson he'd felt in the TIE fighter. A glance at Finn proved he wasn't alone, if the tight smile and bright eyes were any indication.

The takeoff was deceptively smooth as they lifted off, Poe's hands steady as he guided the ship into the air. His eyes shifted skillfully between the various displays and the actual window, losing himself in the skill and tension of flight. 

Once they were clear, Finn jumped them into hyperspace, heading back towards the Ileanian system.

His stomach unknotted but only slightly. They weren't out of the woods yet. He glanced at Finn, frowning when he saw him rubbing the back of his head. "You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Just a little headache," he said, giving Poe a smile. 

"Yeah," Poe agreed with a chuckle. "Mine's called Kes Dameron," he admitted and was gratified when Finn chuckled. "I haven't been this nervous about going home since I was fifteen," he admitted.

"Alright, Poe," Finn said, still trying to rub the spot inside his brain. "Story time, and we're on the run so it'd better be good."

"When are my stories not good?" Poe said with mock offence. "It starts with a pair of twins ...."

* * * * * * * * * *

Once they seemed to be well clear of the planet with no one in pursuit, Poe sent off a message to the general telling her they were on their way, and would be set to arrive in about ten hours, barring any complications. Because it was a message and not an open channel, he was lucky to send it with Finn nearby, hip against the pilot's chair, slow fingers threading through Poe's hair. "I feel a bit cowardly," he admitted, thumbing the send button and leaning back, head lolling to rest against Finn's side. "But we need to talk before I can deal with my father," he admitted, looking up at Finn with a slightly uneasy smile.

Finn's response was to lean down and brush a light kiss to Poe's lips. Then another one, then a more lingering one that held only a ghost of tongue before Finn straightened and settled in the jump seat. "What do you want to tell him?" He asked.

Poe sat back, fingering the jeweled wing that rested at his throat. "That … we're not married, but that … we're together?" He felt awkward and shy in a way he would have thought he'd grown out of by now. But with Finn, somehow, awkward and shy didn't feel as bad as they would have around anyone else he'd fancied.

The way Finn's face lit up put most of Poe's fears to rest. "I'd like that. I don't know … how … " his eyes were lingering at Poe's throat. "Just be patient with me?" he finally said.

Poe leaned forward, catching Finn's chin and kissing him again. "I'll be as patient as you need, sweetheart. YOU're what I care about. Not anyone else's idea of how our relationship is supposed to be. You and I are the ones in it, so it's you and I who matter," he said, leaning back. 

"How upset is your dad gonna be?" Finn asked and Poe had to suppress a grimace.

"I won't lie … he wasn't pleased. He takes marriage seriously. He'll not be happy that I was pretending. I think … when he sees how much of it *wasn't* pretend … he won't stay mad for long."

"Is this … how it's supposed to feel?" Finn asked and Poe saw him looking a bit confused and very thoughtful and introspective.

"What's supposed to feel, sweetheart?"

"I"ve never met him. But I want him to like me. More than the others. More than the General, even, I want your dad to like me. I feel like I need him to … be okay with me being in your life."

"Finn, sweetheart, that's exactly how it's supposed to feel," he smiled. "I, ah, I kind of feel the same way about Rey," he admitted, taking in the look of surprise on Finn's face. "She's the closest you have to family. And she cares about you a lot. She promised you she'd come back. You went back for her when no one else did, Finn, that means the world to her. She never told me as much but I could see it, the way she talked to you, about you. It's the same look the General gets when she talks about Luke, a special kind of bond. I'm an only child so I've never entirely felt it but I can recognize it."

Finn watched hyperspace zip by thoughtfully as Poe spoke, and in the silence that followed. "I was wondering how to … I care about her, a lot. But it's different with you. I liked hugging her, but it felt very different to hugging you. When she and I hug, I felt nice, it was good, finally seeing her again. When you and I hug, I feel it … all over. Makes me feel warm and safe and protected.”

"Damn," Poe breathed, eyes flicking to the displays before zipping back to Finn. The emotion in Finn's voice was having an effect on him. "Making me wish I hadn't given the general an ETA," he admitted with a shy smile and flushed cheeks. "When you talk like that, tell me so … honestly how you feel. It's … it means a lot to me, Finn. Hopefully soon I'll be able to make you understand just how much." Poe took a deep breath, turning more fully to face Finn. "I know I don't … always say it, but I care about you, Finn. A lot. Even if in the unlikely chance that this … doesn't go any further, I want you to know you mean the world to me, and I want you in my life, in whatever way I can get you. As a lover, friend, a brother. I just know I need you with me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Poe, I promise. And … not just because there isn't anywhere *to* go. I want to help you, I want to help fight the First Order. Even if all I do is go back to sanitation, it's something. And I want to be with you. I … even with the general calling, last night is the second best night of sleep I've gotten in my life. The best was the hotel on Miranda. Whatever happens, I'm here," he promised. "Even if your dad decides he can't stand me, I'm not letting that scare me away."

"That might actually be enough to turn him around," Poe said with a soft laugh.

* * * * * * * * * *

Leia found him in the part of the airfield that was generally kept clear for loading and unloading supplies. He had about a dozen people facing him as he grappled with another. It was only the fact that no one seemed alarmed that she let herself join the edge of the crowd without interrupting. Once there, she could hear Kes talking.

"... a hold like this is easy enough to break," he said. "Show 'em, Jess."

A moment later, Kes Dameron was thrown back and Jess Pava was looking very satisfied as the others applauded. 

By mutual silent agreement, the arrival of the general ended the impromptu lesson. Everyone but Kes melted away, leaving him alone with Leia. "Poe and Finn will be back within the hour," she told him. "I thought you might want to be there when they arrived."

"Of course. Yes," he nodded. "I'll grab a shower before they get here, I appreciate the heads up," he said.

"Of course. They'll be arriving at the north end of the airfield. Just … promise not to be too hard on Poe? I know it's taken you by surprise but … I assure you, it's all with good reason."

"For a retired diplomat, Leia, you're a lousy liar," Kes said with an engaging smile that reminded her of Poe's.

"That's because diplomacy and lying are two very different skill sets," she pointed out with a chuckle. “Everyone expects a diplomat to be less than truthful," she said as they began to walk back towards the base interior. "So the trick is to keep them guessing as to what you're lying about."

"Sounds very diplomatically put," Kes said wryly and to her surprise, Leia found herself laughing softly.

An hour later, she stood beside Kes as the Liminality landed in its designated area. Leia and Kes were side by side, unconsciously in the same pose, legs slightly spread, arms crossed over their chests. A quick sidelong glance proved their expressions differed. Kes' carried a decided bent of parental disapproval. Leia was just glad to see them back in one piece. She watched the ramp come down, and movement caught her eye. She took half a step sideways, and tugged Kes closer to her, surprise working in her favor as the white and orange speeding ball zipped over the spot where Kes' foot had been.

"Hey, buddy!" Poe could be heard. Leia felt Kes' arm against hers as they both resumed their positions of watchfulness. "Buddy, this is Finn's droid," Poe said and she watched the two similar units size each other up. "You wanna show her around the base while I get unpacked?" 

Leia noticed Finn was busying himself with unloading, availing himself of a low riding hover cart. He'd glanced their way but hadn't said anything yet.

The two droids rolled away and Leia focused on the two young men. Poe stood, watching the droids vanish, then gave him and her father a look before turning to Finn. 

She didn't hear the exchange, but she kept the surprise from her face when they arrived, fingers laced together.

* * * * * * * * * *

Poe drew strength from Finn's touch as he approached one of the more intimidating pair of people he'd ever faced. And this was *after* Kylo Ren. "Dad," he said, giving Finn's hand a squeeze. "This is Finn Dameron," he said, actually puffing a little bit at the last name. He would never not be proud of having named Finn. He would never not be proud of *Finn*, no matter how his father reacted.

When Kes didn't say anything at first, simply studied the pair of them, Finn spoke up. "It's good to finally meet you, sir," he said, drawing himself up military straight, and letting go of Poe's hand so he could offer it to Kes, meeting the man in the eye, and Poe silently praised him.

"Finn," Kes said, and did accept the handshake, his stance relaxing ever so slightly. "I expect the General will want to debrief you, then I'd like to see you both later."

It was worded as a suggestion, but Poe knew it to be an order. "Yes, sir," he said, clearing his throat and reclaiming Finn's hand. "General?"

"It's just very good to see you back. Let's go inside and debrief. I'll send them to you when I'm done, Kes," she informed him and strode off.

"I'll have your things taken to your room, Poe."

"Thanks, Dad," Poe said, trying not to be uneasy.. He had to tell him, but not here, not in public. "Where are you staying?"

"That temporary wing on the far side, they put me at the end of the hall," Poe didn't miss the slight amusement in his father's eyes. "Guess they were worried about disturbing an old man's' sleep with comings and goings," he said with a shake of her head.

"Okay, yeah, I know where you are. We'll be there after we're done with the general," Poe said, a little more easily. 

* * * * * * * * * *

Finn let out a slow breath as they left Kes with their things and he followed Poe into the command room and then the general's office. "Think he knows?" He whispered to Poe as they walked.

"I don't know. He didn't seem very suspicious but he's always had a good poker face," Poe murmured back.

By the time they arrived, the general had two steaming mugs on the far side of her desk, and one in front of her. "Have a seat gentleman," she said. "And I'll tell you now, I haven't told your father the truth about your arrangement, owing largely to the fact that I don't entirely know what the truth is,"

"We're, erm," Finn watched Poe take a sip of his coffee, eyes widening just a touch. "We're still working it out, but it's … more than what we left as," Poe said with a sidelong glance at Finn, who nodded.

Curious what was different about the drink, Finn blew on it and took a swallow, unable to hide his grimace at the extra, unexpected burst of flavor that wasn't really very pleasant. He did managed to swallow it rather than spit it back into his mug. Seeing the eyes on him, he cleared his throat. "What's … in that?" he asked.

"I thought you two could use a little fortification," Leia said gently, nodding to a bottle of spirits on a high shelf.

"Oh … you're probably not wrong," he admitted, realizing what it was. He sniffed, then took another sip. Since he was expecting it this time, it wasn't quite so bad. By the third swallow he barely noticed.

Finn let himself listen as Poe and the general reviewed the details of Poe's information gathering and outsourcing efforts. As Poe spoke, both men finished their drinks. Finn stood, giving Poe's shoulder a squeeze, silently telling him to keep talking as he refreshed their mugs, taking Leia's as well, making sure how she liked it before going to get coffee.

He didn't add anything stronger than sugar to them, and soon settled beside Poe again, knees bumping lightly.

Finn found himself taking over smoothly, when he knew the details as well as Poe did. He reported on most of their final exodus and by the time everyone's second cups were done, so were the reports.

"Time to face the music," Poe said, standing shoulder to shoulder with Finn just outside the command center. "Do you want to swing by our room, wash up a little?"

Finn shook his head. "Not unless you think we need it," He couldn't help but grin at the idea of properly shared rooms, now. "I don't want to try and leave once we get there," he admitted.

"Good point. 'M just trying to put this off," Poe admitted. 

Tugging him off to the side, Finn rested a hand on his cheek and kissed Poe lightly. "We'll be okay," he assured him, wishing he meant it. "Come on, you stared down Kylo Ren and lived to tell about it. I shoved Phasma down a garbage chute," Finn was gratified to see the amusement in Poe's eyes at that. "We'll survive this," he promised with another light kiss.

Poe's hands rested on his waist, then pulled Finn into a hug. "Thanks, sweetheart," Poe whispered and FInn's heart clutched as it always did. Poe's hands slid up Finn's chest, then, and adjusted the collar. Finn suspected it was mostly an excuse to touch and prolong.

Then he saw the quirk of Poe's lips. "What?" he asked.

"One reason I picked this shirt for you is because it's so very soft," he explained, running a hand over the dark blue material. "I just remembered why. It's so soft because it's so old. This one was my dad's," Poe chuckled. "My dad's shirt and my mom's jacket," he said, and Finn could see a slight glint of possessiveness in that.

"I hope he doesn't mind me having it, now."

"He won't. If anything, he'll know how much you mean to me," 

"Then let's go show him, sweetheart," Finn said, the endearment coming more easily every time he said it.

* * * * * * * * * *

He'd hid it at the airfield, but Kes had been surprised at the pair. Given Leia's cageyness, the circumstances of his finding out, Kes had begun to wonder if there wasn't something about this so-called marriage that no one wanted to tell him. It amused him, the thought of Leia essentially tossing his son under the bus by forcing him to deal with his own duplicity.

Because he had one of the larger guest quarters, Kes' room was already equipped with a small kitchenette, and a small table with four chairs. And because he was nervous about meeting his son's … husband, lover, boyfriend? Ex stormtrooper … he was cooking. He heard the comm chirp and tossed the towel over his shoulder before thumbing the display nearest him. "General," he said, and retired or not the solder in him always stood a little straighter when he faced her. 

"Kes. Poe and Finn just finished with me, they should be there shortly," she said. "I hope tonight goes well for all three of you," she added.

"Thank you, Leia," he said, the surprise of seeing her faded and he fell back to their usual ease.

"Would you care to meet me for breakfast tomorrow? I'm curious how tonight is going to go and I doubt either Poe or Finn will be keen to tell me."

Kes chuckled at that. "Yes, ma'am. Officer assessment at 0800," he said with his gruffest sergeant voice, feeling a surprising little clutch at her light laugh. Putting it out of his mind, he made their goodbyes and ended the call.

He transferred the medley of vegetables and meat, coated with oil and spices, onto three plates. His boy was going to eat, and he was going to like it. Even if they'd eaten right before landing, that'd been hours ago, so he didn't doubt that two strapping young men could put away this small bit of food.

He was just getting ready to cut the bread when there came a knock at the door. "Come in," he called, and once he heard the door open, and glanced to confirm who it was, he gestured at the table with the large knife in his hand. "Sit," he ordered before starting to cut thick slices. He heard one of them gulp and honestly couldn't be sure which it was. Both fighter pilots and - to his annoyance - stormtroopers had nerves of steel. Thick, fresh slices of bread piled onto a plate - Kes made a note to get a basket soon, not making the connection that he was making plans to *stay* - and placed in the middle of the table with the butter. 

Finally he sat, eyeing the two boys in front of him. After a moment, both of them met his eyes and he nodded, glad they weren't completely cowed. When he reached for a slice of bread, the other two seemed to take that as a signal that the meal had begun. Though Finn was a second behind Poe - clearly taking his cues from Poe.

"Dad, I want to say-"

"Eat first. Even if you two ate on the ship, it's been hours, and this is not the sort of talk we need on an empty stomach."

"Yessir," Poe said with a nod.

It was quiet to start, Kes noticing Finn enjoying the meal quite a lot. Catching Kes' eyes, Finn cleared his throat. "It's very good, sir. Did, um, did Poe get his cooking from his mother?" he asked innocently.

Poe just about choked, the sharp, gurgled inhale cutting off a laugh and Kes' couldn't help but smile once he was assured Poe was alright.

"What makes you ask that, Finn?" he asked, wondering if it was just manners or some story was behind it.

"Poe told me about the time he tried to cook for you …" Kes knew everything but he let Finn tell it, nodding and agreeing at various points.

"I still get that letter every year," he told them with a chuckle, a bit more relaxed, now. Whatever it was between the two of them, it looked genuine. Especially if the looks of affection, and occasionally blinding love that passed between them were real. "And to answer your question, no, Shara could cook. I just usually did it because of her hours as a pilot," Kes explained. "Where Poe got his abysmal skill is a mystery greater than the force itself," he said with a fond look at his son.

The rest of the meal proceeded with similar small talk - largely dominated by their new droid, and the fact that she was, basically, sickly. "I think of her more as a sleepy old abuela," Poe admitted when Kes made that observation. "I mean, she's old, Dad. Remember how Mom had a BB3 when she was little? She only seemed childlike at first because a lot of her internal data had gotten disconnected over the years."

"Abuela?" Finn asked, buttering another slab of bread, despite a half eaten one on his plate. 

Kes eyebrow quirked when it was placed on Poe's breadless plate. Interesting. "The word itself means grandmother," Kes explained. "But on Yavin 4, and a few other places, it basically means an older woman," he said. As he spoke, he saw Poe reach for a fresh slice of bread, then notice the one on his plate and flash Finn a smile. 

"Like the general?" Finn asked and it was Kes' turn to almost choke. He coughed once and took a sip of water to clear his throat.

"No, Finn," he heard Poe explain. "I mean … she's the right age but she's … she's the General!" He might keep professional in front of her, but he'd clearly not lost his idolization of Kes old friend.

"She's also a mother, Poe," Kes said gently. "When you have kids, you hope to have grandchildren someday, so I don't think she'd be bothered by the comparison." She might even like it. 

Conversation continued until the meal ended, and Kes found himself warming up to Finn more than he'd expected. He could see why Poe married him, if he had. And why he obviously adored him, either way.

When they were done, Kes began to gather the dishes, and when he saw Finn's chair slide back to rise, he shook his head. "Sit," he ordered and - like a proper soldier - he did so. He gathered everything up, coming back with the pot of tea that had been steeping, pouring three strong cups.

Only once all three had been made, did Poe speak up. "We're not married, Dad," he said, and then held his breath as Kes regarded him.

"I suspected as much, son," he said gently. He'd planned to be mad, to be hurt, but in the end he was just proud of Poe for coming clean. "I was hurt, at first," he admitted. "But the more I thought it over, the less I thought you'd do something like that without telling me," he said.

Both of the others seemed to relax considerably at that. "Thanks, Dad," Poe said with a smile and Finn echoed the sentiment, except with sir instead of dad.

"That being said," Kes said, fixing them both with a look. "You're not married, but I doubt that's the entire story,"

"No, it isn't," Poe admitted. "We're …"

When Poe took a breath, it was Finn who spoke. "We're together. I know the General told you where I'm from. I'm still figuring a lot of things out about this … everything in this world but I know Poe. He's the *reason* I'm here. I don't know what my place is in the Resistance, or in what's going to come after, but I know I want to find out with Poe at my side. In The FIrst Order … everything is black and white and chrome. No color, at all. When I look at Poe I see every color that ever was," he finished breathlessly, looking at Poe who seemed a little gobsmacked by this impassioned confession.

Finn looked as surprised as Kes was when Poe reached over and took hold of Finn's head for a sudden, intense kiss. Both men were a bit flustered when they drew apart and sat back.

"... and I wasn't even going to say classified," Poe murmured, a touch breathless.

Kes found himself nodding approvingly. He could see the light in his boy's eyes. Poe might have been less … verbose about it, but it was obvious that Poe felt the same as Finn did. He had no doubt they had a lot to work out. And he was going to enjoy the show, he realized. "Classified?" he asked, catching what his son had said.

They both began, then Poe shook his head. "You're the storyteller, sweetheart," he finally said, then propped an elbow on the table to watch Finn relay the story of what Kes learned was their first kiss.

* * * * * * * * * *

Poe's whole body was tingling when they left his father's. When they'd arrived, his father had actually *scared* him for a moment, and he knew that had been the plan. It hadn't stopped him from gulping, though. Then as the evening went on, and then Finn's declaration, and the laughing after and … He turned, reaching for Finn and pulling him close, capturing his mouth in a slow kiss, arms twining around his waist.

Finn's mouth curved against his as the kiss ended. "What was that for?"

"For tonight. For everything for … He likes you. You two got along, that … it means so much to me," he said, suddenly feeling shy.

"I'm glad. I know how important it is to you, and ... I'm really glad he likes me, too," he smiled. 

Poe glanced at the juncture they were in. "My room's down that way," he nodded towards the turn. 

"And mine's down there," Finn pointed at the rest of the temporary quarters. "All my stuff's in your room, though," he said, his voice soft eyes hopeful and expectant.

"Let's go to my room, tonight … " His stomach curled when he saw the look in Finn's eyes fade and amended his plans. "And your room tomorrow," he added smoothly, He hoped smoothly, anyway. "We'll talk tomorrow, right now I want you in my room tonight," he murmured against Finn's jaw "In my bed," he smiled when he felt that shiver.

There were no more detours, neither stopping until Poe's door closed behind them. He palmed the lock, there was a smaller door at the bottom that BB8 could use.

"What do we do now?" Finn asked, looking around the room and Poe could see the tension in his shoulders, new because it hadn't been there a minute ago.

"I don't know about you," he said, stepping closer, bumping shoulders with Finn. "But I want to get into my pajamas, crawl under the covers and kiss my boyfriend until one of us falls asleep," he suggested, face heating a bit as he began to tug very gently on Finn's shirt, drawing it up and free of his pants.

Finn smiled and Poe could see the ease of tension. "That sounds … very good," he admitted. His hands moved to his own shirt, then after a second, they hesitantly reached for Poe's, following his example and tugging the shirt free of his waistband.

Poe lifted his arms, letting Finn draw the shirt off. When he looked around, Poe took it, tossing it into a messy pile in one corner, then crowded Finn against the desk, kissing him lightly as he undid his shirt. They'd kissed before, even explored a little, but this was the first time they'd really have the time, leisure and safety to take their time. Opening Finn's shirt, Poe flattened his hands and explored the tight stomach and firm pecs before pushing the garment off his shoulders. He felt Finn's callused hands on his own back. Finn's back rippled under Poe's hands as he tugged the shirt off, tossing it to join Poe's.

So many things he wanted to do with Finn, but he knew Finn had never … and he could wait. Poe was patient, and he loved this, this gentle exploring. His fingers found the puckered line down Finn's back and skirted away, worried it still hurt.

"Doesn't hurt," Finn murmured, his lips and breath warm on Poe's jaw as he spoke. 

Poe swallowed, letting his fingers brush over it again, on guard for any sign of pain or discomfort. When he felt nothing, he began to slide his fingers down it. He closed his eyes tight, feeling how long it was, and pressed his face to Finn's neck. He recalled the sickening sight of Chewbacca carrying him out of the Falcon, hearing the medics talk as he ran after the cart.

He didn't realize he was clutching at Finn until Finn's hands moved to his shoulders. "Poe, everything okay?" Finn murmured, nuzzling him.

Embarrassed, Poe drew back a little and cleared his throat, hands resting on Finn's hips. 'Yeah, I was just thinking … when you came back from Starkiller. I was so scared for you," he murmured.

"Let's get to bed," Finn said, bumping their noses together lightly. "And I'll remind you that I'm right here," he promised.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finn almost stayed in bed. He woke on his back, Poe's head on his shoulder, and arm and leg across Finn's stomach and legs. It's tempting, to just burrow down, close his eyes and savor Poe a bit more. But his bladder has other ideas, and he needs to run this morning. He's been without his daily run for a while. He presses a kiss to Poe's temple before sliding out from under him. Taking care of his first problem, he changes into sweats, and a tank top, both selected from Poe's clothes - their things from the trip haven't been unpacked yet.

When he crouches to tie the laces on his shoes, he sees dark brown eyes peeking out from under tousled curls. "Morning," he said with a smile.

"Going for a run?" Poe asks, voice rough and sleepy as he sits up a little.

"Yeah, haven't been for a while," he said, tying the other shoe. "I was trying not to wake you," he apologized.

"Mmmm, s'fine. I liked watching you get dressed in my stuff," Poe said sleepily and Finn shivered a little.

"You be awake when I get back?" he asked, sitting on the side of the bed, leaning to press a kiss to Poe's curls. He was intercepted and caught by Poe's mouth for a slow kiss. And the morning breath didn't bother him a bit.

"Maybe," he murmured. "I've got to be up by eight, though, meeting with the squad to run maneuvers,"

"Okay. if I'm done before then, I'll come back. If not … lunch?" he asked, hand rubbing gently up and down Poe's bare shoulder.

"Mmhmm," Poe nodded, already tucking his head back into Finn's pillow.

Finn saw a few people out and about once he left. He made his way through the base to open air, and around the airfield, finding the long, winding track that he and others used for their runs. In the First Order, runs were intense, brutal workouts, set to clocks and distances. Finn much preferred this. Do the track as many times as you felt like. Finn himself liked three times.

It was on the second that he heard the approach of another runner. Slowing, he turned to see who it was. "Sergeant Dameron," he said with a smile. 

"Not a sergeant anymore, Finn," he said, beginning his warmup. "And I told you to call me Kes."

"Yessir. Kes. I can relocate if you'd prefer to run alone?" He offered. The man seemed friendly enough but in the days before his trip he'd had more than one person refuse to run the track with or even near him.

"I actually wouldn't mind the company, if you don't mind running with an old man," he said with a smile.

"Not at all, sir," he assured him.

Instead of his usual three, Finn found himself running the track four times in total. Kes wanted to run three, and Finn found himself enjoying the quiet company.

"Lemme ask you something," Kes asked as they went through their cooldown stretches. "Those power backs stormtroopers wear, do they still overload if you hit 'em with a low grade blaster pulse?"

Finn blinked, and shook his head. "No, sir. They fixed that about … " he did the math in his head. "Fifteen years ago. I hadn't been fitted for mine yet. They aren't as water tight as they used to be, though. You need special armour if you're going into a very wet environment," he said thoughtfully.

"Good to know," Kes mused. "Is the reinforcing on the underarmor any better?"

"Not that I'm aware of. It's still vulnerable to most things, if someone gets close enough. Getting close is supposed to be impossible."

Kes nodded, "When I was a Pathfinder, you'd hardly ever find fewer than five at a time, unless it was guarding or patrol."

"Four, now. General Hux is of the belief that his training is superior to the old clone driven or recruitment armies, so fewer of us are needed for a job."

"Them," Kes said. "You're not a stormtrooper anymore, Finn."

"No sir," He agreed. Then he took a swallow of water before speaking again. "Kes? There a reason you're asking all of this?"

"One thing my squad used to do is find weaknesses in stormtrooper armor, or tactics, and relay that to general ground troops."

"But you aren't a Pathfinder anymore."

"No. Don't suppose you'd buy old habits die hard?"

"Nosir," Finn couldn't help the slight smile. "Not from you, at any rate."

Kes laughed. "Smart kid. I've been thinking of staying. Solo wasn't part of this conflict, Leia's got some ground troops, but so far it's just anyone who can't fly or fix a plane. Pilots are the backbone of this rebellion, and so far it hasn't hurt her that she doesn't have effective ground troops."

"But it will," Finn realized and Kes nodded. 

"Yeah. If the first order didn't have stormtroopers, I'd be less worried, but they're not a force to be trifled with. She needs crack ground troops, and from the looks of things, she doesn't have anyone to train them."

"Well … That depends on a few things, sir," Fin said carefully. At Kes' raised eyebrow, he continued. "They wouldn't trust me. Poe thinks he scared them off bothering me, but I know a lot of the General’s people don't trust me. They don't dislike me, but that isn't the same thing. But a former Pathfinder from the Rebellion, who worked with Han Solo himself. Commander Dameron's own father. They'd trust you, sir."

"I'm getting old, though, Finn," he said, shaking his head. "A daily run is one thing, but trying to break in new troops from the ground up - I can't do it alone. If I had someone younger to help demonstrate the maneuvers, break into squads for competitions and the like …"

Having seen what he was getting at, Finn nodded. "I could possibly help, sir. If they don't need me for anything else."

"I'm pretty sure the general can spare you from whatever plans she might've had."

"I can … set up a meeting?" Finn said, not sure how to go about it, and he suspected Kes had his own ideas.

"Don't worry, I'll be seeing her-" he checked his watch. "Soon! I'll talk to her, have a good day, Finn!"

* * * * * * * * * *

After the run and the talk with Finn, Kes had just enough time for a quick shower before meeting with Leia for breakfast. It was only when he reached the mess hall that he realized they hadn't decided on where. Thankfully, he saw her at the opposite end and strode across to greet her. "General," he tried to be respectful in front of the troops, though there weren't many now.

"Kes," she smiled, and they were companionably quiet as they got their breakfast. He followed her to a small table in the corner, silently approving that she ate with the troops. He'd seen too many officers hold themselves apart - above the men and women in their command.

"How'd everything go last night?" she asked as she fixed her coffee.

"Very well, I think. I may have given them a bit of a scare at first …" he explained how he'd been cooking when they arrived. "It was a good meal, and it was nice talking to them. Finn is … a good kid. A bit younger than I would have envisioned Poe going for, but then if I recall correctly, you were about his age when you were all but running the Rebellion the last time," he said with a smile.

"I wasn't as close to the top as people think, but your math is correct," she smiled. "And the First Order ages people. Just like the empire did."

"That it does," he sighed. "He seems to be good for Poe. They're … happy. Genuinely happy. And there's not nearly enough of that to go around," he pointed out.

"No, there isn't. Though with the loss of Starkiller, the pressure is off of us for a little while, we have time to regroup. I'll be sending more missions out like Poe's, gathering resources that aren't dependent on a single source. I'd been wanting to decentralize for a while, but with all the political gamesmanship, it was easier to get everything directly through the republic," she explained. "This isn't how I wanted to do it, though."

"I know," he nodded. "I was talking with Finn, earlier, and … I have a suggestion. A way to make use of that breathing room you were talking about." As they ate, he outlined what they'd discussed, plus the thoughts that had lead him to it.

"Aside from simply being a good ground soldier, Finn knows the inner workings of their power structure better than anyone. He can pinpoint weaknesses in their armor, tactics, and help me train our troops here."

"That sounds like a very promising idea," she said with a smile. "I take it I'll be reinstating you into the resistence, Captain?"

Kes blinked at the rank. When he opened his mouth to protest, she gave him a sharp look.

"Finn is going to be instated as a Sergeant, Kes. I cannot have two Sergent Dameron's running around, especially if you'll be working together. I won't have two Commander Dameron's, either. So, Captain it is," 

"Yes, General," he said, feeling his chest puff a little with pride. When he'd mustered out at the end of the war, he'd been content with his rank, never minding at all that Shara, being an officer, was technically ranked higher, and drew more retirement pay. But the new rank would help him resupply himself here. It would be easier than packing up his house on Yavin 4. He didn't have much in the way of personal effects, and he'd have them packed up and sent here soon.

"I'll look for proper officers quarters for you,"

"If it's alright, I'll keep the ones I have. It's a nice sized room and I've already got the kitchen a little stocked," he said with a smile.

"Alright, I suspect Finn will be staying in his as well," she said. "At least until he and Poe decide to requisition larger quarters"

"Don't be so sure they will, there's something to be said about cramped quarters like that when you're desperately in love," he said and the two shared a smile of remembrance of the early days of their relationships.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finn watched fondly as BB-8 led BB-1 around the base, introducing her to the other droids. They'd touched base a few times during the day, and the two rolling droids had made sure to spend his and Poe's lunch break with them. 

He'd not made it back in time to meet Poe in their room, but they'd ended up having a brief breakfast together. Poe apparently not noticing his father and Leia having breakfast in the far corner. After a brief kiss, Poe had departed and Finn had finished his meal in peace.

Not having anywhere else to go, he lingered over a few cups of coffee. When the general left, Kes joined him and the two began to make plans for the new Hurricane corps, so named because, as Kes put it "Hurricanes can kick a storm's ass any day of the week."

While in the process of drawing up some tactical training plans, a few of Poe's friends came to join, the ones he'd met and been friendly with before his departure.

Since neither of them had anything else to do, they stayed parked at the table with varying company until after dinner. Poe and the general both joined them, then and some more solid plans were made. A schedule was agreed on - with Poe's input so as not to overlap pilot training and hurricane training directly, as it would beneficial to train many people in both.

Finally, at the general's orders, the planning session broke up. Kes went back to his room to contact some people back on Yavin to make arrangements for his things. Poe was called away to settle a dispute between a pilot and one of his techs. With nothing to do, Finn followed him to the airfield but found BB's 1 and 8 on the way. He couldn't understand them, but he got the impression that they'd been having a good day. Then they chirped at one another and zipped off to where a few of the other astromechs were coming off duty and BB8 seemed to be introducing them to BB1.

Finn just stood, watching the droids, taking in the cooling evening air, leaning against the concrete wall of the base. This freedom, the peace, the mild chaos was, this was everything he'd been conditioned to hate. And to Finn, it was the symbol of everything that was right with the world. Even the fact that Poe wasn't here right now because he was mediating an argument between two of his people. In the First Order, it was unlikely to ever happen this way. Either the subordinate would never speak up, or would be immediately punished for dereliction of duty. And it would always be the subordinate that was punished. If two of the same rank had a dispute, it was usually settled with brute force.

"Credit for 'em?"

Finn started a little, realizing that Poe was close enough to be leaning on the wall, one arm up over his head, smiling at FInn. "Hmmm?"

"Your thoughts, you were … pretty far away."

"Honestly? I was just thinking how good everything is here. You going to talk it through with your people. … That's .. not how the first order does things. At all."

"I'm glad," He chuckled. "I'm very glad every day you decide you like it better here than there," Poe smiled and Finn hooked two fingers in his flight suit collar, pulling him close for a kiss.

"I've got a lot to live for now," he smiled. "And now," He kissed Poe again. "I'd like to go celebrate my new job," he purred.

In their room, the kisses continued slow and sweet as they undressed. Finn wanted all of Poe's skin against him. Wanted nothing between them from head to toe.

As they stood kissing, FInn's hands slid down to Poe's waist, then under the waistband, pushing it down. Poe wiggled away, nipping Finn's lip and drawing back "To bed, Finn," he purred, turning to the bed and laying down, pants still on, his cock tenting the material.

A little disappointed, Finn couldn't bring himself to be upset at the dark, inviting look in Poe's eyes. He stepped forward, crawling onto the bed until he lay against Poe's chest, their faces level, leaning in for a kiss. It didn't take long for him to get over his disappointment. His hands slid over Poe's side and back as they kissed, and Poe's followed suit. Hands and mouths explored gently, tasting and squeezing and stroking.

Finn was taking great pleasure in finding all of the spots on Poe's neck that made him gasp. He pushed the other man onto his back and began to explore below his neck. Poe's hands slid over his neck and shoulders as Finn nipped at his collarbone. 

Finn's hands slid over Poe's soft side and up over his ribs, his thumb grazing over his nipples, earning him a moan and Poe's fingers clutching his shoulder. For the first time, Finn let himself give into curiosity and moved down, swiping his tongue over Poe's nipple. That groan was a bit more strangled. "Finn!" Poe gasped as he continued. Finn grinned, stopping at one nipple only to move and lavish attention to the other. In doing, he moved his hips fully between Poe's spread legs. 

His hips pushed down as he lifted his head and moved up enough to capture Poe's mouth. Not for the first time, he was aware of the difference between them, the main one anyway. Poe was hard and Finn had worked out enough about how that happened to take it as a compliment. What went unspoken between them was that Finn wasn't. Had never been. 

After kissing Poe breathless, Finn lived his head. "You know I really enjoy this, right?" He murmured, deciding to tackle it head on before things became really awkward about it.

It took a moment for Poe's gaze to clear, his hands resting on Finn's hips. "I know, Finn. I just feel bad. I know spine injuries can lead to certain problems, and I really enjoyed what we'd been doing. I could kiss you all night long and it would be the best night of my life."

Finn felt his heart clutch at those words, lowering his head to press forehead to forehead with Poe. "Agreed," he murmured. "I don't know what my back has to do with it. I'm all healed from it, they said so."

Poe shook his head. "It's okay, Finn. I mean, i wish you could- could feel the …" He cocked his head to the side. "Don't you miss it?" He asked, looking genuinely perplexed.

"Miss what?" Finn asked, before his brain fully caught up. "Oh. I've never … I can't get hard," He said with a shrug. "At least I never have."

"You've never-not even when you were a teen-wait," Poe's eye twitched again and Finn found himself cupping his face, rubbing the edge of Poe's eye gently with his thumb.

"I can't miss what I never had, Poe," he murmured. "I don't know if I'll ever … but I want to be with you. I want to have … everything with you. I don't have my own erection to play with," he said, his back rolling as he pressed against Poe's bulge. "Which just means I should get to play with yours twice as much," he suggested with a firm nip at Poe's chin.

His gamble had paid off and Finn found himself pulled sharply down, arms tight around him as Poe claimed his mouth. "Finn, how'd you get such a filthy mouth?" he breathed when they came apart, gasping.

Seeing the shine in Poe's eyes he knew it wasn't censure. "Probably from kissing you so much," he said and dove in for another one, hips rocking again.

"Fnn!" Poe shuddered. "If you keep that up, I'm gonna come."

"Is that good?" Finn found himself asking.

Poe looked utterly torn. "Yes, but, there's … I don't want to yet," he whined softly, too lost in pleasure for his eye to twitch, apparently.

"If it feels good, why don't you want to?" Finn did keep his hips still but gravity still had him pressed firmly against Poe.

"It's … I … Krif… Finn I can't think like this," he whined, hands pushing gently at Finn's hips.

"Oh ... " Finn nodded and rolled off Poe, sitting up, legs folding to watch. He might not be able to get hard but he liked what he was seeing. Poe, on his back, nipples still just slightly red from Poe's mouth. Face flushed, lips swollen, chest heaving gently as he fought for some kind of control. His pants had a slight wet spot near the head of his cock. "What's that?" he asked, nodding to the spot.

Poe closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "Okay, I've gotta hit the head quick," He said, moving to crawl over Finn and out of the bed.

Knowing this was going to be probably one of their more intense conversations, Finn nodded, resisting the urge to pull him against him.

While Poe was in the bathroom, Finn stood and tidied the room, needing something to do to keep himself calm.

Not wanting to get distracted, they opted against sitting on the bed. So they sat on the floor, leaning against it as Poe explained - with no small amount of embarrassment, it seemed - just how penises were supposed to work. And how sex was meant to work in general.

"I mean … I haven't had a whole heap of experience either way," Poe finally said, absently picking at his nails. "But I do have practical knowledge of the basics."

Finn nodded, thinking it all over. "It's never … I never felt like I was missing anything. And honestly, I still don't. I mean, I know there's something else that could be happening but I don't know what it's like. I mean, do you feel your sex is somehow lacking because you can only come once but you've said girls can come a lot?"

Poe blinked and shook his head slowly and Finn smiled, glad he seemed to get his point across. "I just … I want to make it as good as I can for you," Poe said, a hand on Finn's cheek. "I'll just … have to relearn my techniques," he promised. And do some research.

"How about we help each other figure it all out? This kind of contact is as new to me as your new technique is to you," He smiled.

When they got back in bed, they were too tired to do much more than kiss, but it felt better now. When Finn's arms reached for Poe's hips and pulled him closer, Poe let their legs twine together and Finn realized how much he'd been keeping their lower halves apart.

* * * * * * * * * *

The following day, Poe mumbled a sleepy goodbye to Finn before he went on his run, then hovered in that delicious space between sleep and full wakefulness for several minutes. He lay on his back, one arm tucked up under his head, the other resting on the bed. He was half hard just from the few sleepy slow kisses they'd shared before Finn got up for his run.

Poe smiled to himself as he recalled their conversation the night before. He'd expected to be much older and have children when he had to have that talk, but he was glad he'd managed to explain things well enough to Finn.

They'd finally slept naked the night before and it was every bit as wonderful as Poe would have expected. They'd skipped spooning in favor of curling up facing each other. And Poe had entwined their legs, liking the feel of Finn's firm thigh between his slightly fleshier ones.

That thought sent a curl of pleasure through him. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed certain things until they were a possibility again. God, he wished Finn were here now.

Poe's hand slid from the bed to his hips, under the light cover. He licked his lips and teased himself, caressing the seam between hip and thigh before tickling his fingers over his balls, making him let out a little gasp.

Feeling bad about Finn's condition, Poe hadn't so much as played with himself in the shower, but with their liberating talk, he felt comfortable doing this. He wasn't sure if he could with Finn just yet, but right now, right now he was alone.

He loved Finn's hands on him, big and callused and so fucking gentle. Poe kept his eyes closed, though he turned his head, rubbing into FInn's pillow, which he always confiscated the second Finn left for his run. 

Finn liked to explore, Poe knew. He'd take his time, handle Poe's balls with infinite tenderness, stroking at first, rolling them between his fingers. If Poe thought about him *licking* them, he'd shoot off right away. He touched himself the way he imagined Finn would, licking his lips slowly. He wouldn't stay with light and tender, though. No, Finn would test and experiment. A harder squeeze here, more pressure in a caress there. Poe might have to teach him a few tricks, like how to twist just so to stop an orgasm, but that would be later.

For now, Poe just rocked on the bed, the sheet tugging aside, exposing his heated shaft to the cool air of the room. His other hand came out from under his head and gathered the precome at the tip of his cock, licking his fingers clean, wondering what Finn would taste like. He wondered if Finn would let him find out, let Poe gently fondle and suck at his flaccid cock - not hoping for a reaction, just wanting the intimacy of it, and maybe even if he couldn't get hard, it might still feel nice.

His breathing sped up as he ran his fingers up the shaft, pressing it to his belly. Finn would be gentle here, too. Carefully exploring, and consequently driving Poe insane. Light touches becoming firmer ones. A stroke of fingers becoming the grip of a palm.

He knew he'd regret not using lube but it felt so good, his hand - Finn's hand - moving over his cock. The precome helped some and he swiped his palm around the head, gathering it spreading it on his length. His body arched up and he gave his balls a practiced twist, stopping the orgasm and holding his pleasure back. "Finn!" he whined, mistaking the sharp intake of breath he heard for his own as he kept whimpering. His pleasure finally abated enough to release his balls.

He was so lost in his own pleasure, he didn't realize he wasn't alone until the second time he groaned Finn's name, just as he hovered on the edge again.

"I'm here," came the slightly rough growl, just as a wide, callused hand covered Poe's own around his cock. 

Poe's eyes snapped open and saw Finn's face, and flushed with bone-deep embarrassment. And he came, eyes locked with Finn's as he came with a loud cry of Finn's name.

His chest heaved in the wake of one of his more intense orgasms. He didn't know why Finn was here, but he didn't care, too blissed out. When he saw Finn lower his head, he lifted up to meet him. Releasing his balls, he cupped the back of Finn's head and held him close as he panted into his mouth between hungry kisses.

Finally, Poe could breathe again and drew back. "What're you doing here?" He whispered. "Thought you'd be on your run …"

"Weather's nasty, only did one round," Finn explained, his hand still holding Poe's around his cock.

"I gotta let go," Poe murmured, slowly easing his grip "I get real sensitive after I come, hurts to touch it sometimes,"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Finn's hand came away like it got burned, and Poe couldn't help but smile at the quick moves for Poe's comfort.

"I … when *did* you get back?"

Finn looked away and Poe could see the blush even under his dark skin. "When your hand went under the cover. I thought you'd hear me come in but you didn't. And you looked … so good," he breathed. "I know I shouldn't have … it was private, wasn't it? Doing that to yourself?"

Poe sat up, hand on the back of FInn's neck as he kissed him lightly, considering his answer. "In general, yes, it's one of the more private things a person can do. Even more private than using the bathroom. And in a way more private than regular sex because it's usually done alone."

"Except when someone spies on you," Finn said with only a small smile.

"Not necessarily," Poe sat up, leaning on the headboard. "Come here," He patted his chest, "Sit right here and let me hold you while we talk."

"Mnn-hnn," Finn shook his head. "I did a rather intense run, I'm all sweaty."

"Maybe I like you a bit sweaty, and besides, I'm sticky with come. Come here, we can shower after."

Finn finally did as he was bid, pulling off his shirt before sitting between Poe's naked, spread thighs and leaning back, his head on Poe's shoulder.

Poe wrapped his arms around Finn, smiling when Finn's hands rested on his. "I don't consider what you did to be spying, first of all," he assured him. "I'm … glad you liked the show. I've never done it in front of anyone before," he admitted. "I don't even know if I could have with you watching me, but we can always test that theory," he offered.

Finn's breath hitched and he nodded. "I'd like to watch. Maybe … tell me what you're thinking while you do? I want to know how to make it good for you,"

"Finn, just you showing up makes it the best I've ever had."

He could feel the heat of Finn's blush, but also saw his smile. "You know what I mean," he sighed.

"I do. And I want the same," he glanced at his clock. "When are you meeting Dad today?"

"Not for two hours, he said he's having breakfast with the general, planning stuff," Finn said vaguely.

"Very good. We've got time …" he smiled against Finn's cheek. "Do you mind if I … try some things?"

"Depends … do I have to move?" He asked with a huff of laughter.

"No, sweetheart, you don't. In fact, moving is counterproductive to what I want to do. But tell me if you want me to stop, okay?"

"Okay, I trust you," Finn said easily.

And the truth of those words resonated as it always did when Finn spoke. 

"I know you like this," Poe began, his hands flat against Finn's stomach as they slid up his abs and over his pecs. "And this …" Rolling his nipples between his fingers rewarded Poe with a light gasp.

His hands slid down, caressing over Finn's abs again. When he reached the waistband of FInn's running shorts, he frowned. "Maybe take these off," he murmured. "The waist is too tight to do what I want,"

"Yessir," Finn pushed back against Poe's chest as he lifted his hips, pushing the shorts down and off, toeing his shoes and socks to follow, leaving the two men naked together.

"Beautiful," Poe whispered and just caressed Finn's chest and abs until he relaxed again.

"Takes one to know one," Finn said softly and Poe smiled.

"That it does," he affirmed. His hand slid to the bottom of Finn's belly. "I'm not worried about getting you hard, I just want to … explore," he murmured. "Do you have any sensation?"

"MMmm," Finn nodded. "I can feel it, and it kind of feels nice but I only touch it when I need to take a piss," he explained.

"Okay," Poe nodded. "Good, and let me know if you want to stop, Please, okay, Finn?"

"I will." 

With that, Poe's hand slid lower, fingers grazing lightly over the soft shaft, covered in a wrinkled foreskin, surrounded by tightly curled pubic hair. He kept his touch featherlight, grazing over the soft curl of Finn's cock and his balls.

He was rewarded with small, light sounds of pleasure from Ffinn, not unlike when Poe caressed his chest closer to his nipples. "Feels nice," Finn whispered.

"Good, I'm glad, sweetheart," he murmured. His opened his hand, sliding his palm against Finn's shaft and curling his fingers around his balls, gently caging both, trapping them lightly. 

Finn's breath hitched and Poe began to loosen his hand. "No! Don't. I like it," Finn breathed. "I don't know why but … I like you holding me like this." To prove his point, he curled hand around Poe's wrist, keeping him there.

Poe smiled, nuzzling Finn's neck. "Thank you for telling me," he murmured. "I like the feel of it, too. I like that you trust me enough to let me see you like this, to hold you like this."

"Makes me feel … Like … Not like holding hands but … Intimate," Finn bit his lip, then took a breath. "On the ship, when I was the … big spoon. You reached back and took my hand, tucked it up to your chest. This feels like that, but more so."

Poe nodded. "I remember … something like that. At the hotel on MIranda," he murmured. "When I woke up, I was … curled around you like a hungry rathtar," he said. "I was afraid you'd wake up and think I was taking advantage of you. I had my hand on your chest, and when I tried to pull away, you clutched at me like you didn't want me to go. You were asleep or I might've stayed."

"Sounds like what I would have done. I loved feeling you so close that night. I never knew … that just touching could feel so very good. It doesn't bother you that I can't … that it's not obvious how much I like what we do?" he murmured.

"If I knew you *could* get hard but weren't, it might be a problem. But you're so expressive, sweetheart, it's very easy for me to tell if you like what i'm doing. Every little gasp and tremble communicates just as much as a hardon."

"Good, because I like what you do. Even when we just sit together, I like feeling your thigh or arm or foot against mine. I know it's silly-"

"It's not," Poe said, his fingers curling just a bit tightly and the soft whine in Finn's throat was surprisingly pleasurable. "Mmmm, you like that?" he murmured.

"Mm-hmm," Finn nodded, his fingers gently gripping Poe's thighs. 

"I'll keep that in mind," He purred, then gave a squeeze before slowly letting go." Finn whined again, a quiet needy sound that Poe cherished. He moved both hands into play, now. In a light imitation of his earlier efforts, he used one hand on Finn's balls, rolling and stroking gently.

"Is this … what you did earlier … can I … I want to touch you like that sometime," Finn whispered.

Poe had to bite back a groan of hunger. "Yes," he murmured. "I'd love you to stroke me off some other time," He promised with a gentle nip to his neck.

Poe smiled, drinking in all the small sounds of Finn's pleasure as he explored his balls. Then both hands moved to his cock. "You still okay, sweetheart?"

"Very okay," Finn assured him. "Not as okay as you though," and to Poe's delight, Finn wiggled back, managing to press right against Poe's returned erection.

Poe laughed softly. "Don't worry about me, this is about you," he said, nuzzling Finn's neck.

There was a long pause before Finn answered, turning to meet Poe's eyes "Can I worry after?" he asked. 

Poe's chest hitched and - as usual - he couldn't deny Finn. "You can worry after," he promised and Finn settled his head back against Poe's shoulder.

With Finn's okay, Poe's fingers began to very lightly work over Finn's soft flesh. He massaged, squeezed, caressed, played with cock and balls in turn, working out what Finn liked. He even rolled the foreskin back, getting at the more sensitive skin under it and smiled at Finn's surprised gasps.

"The only-" Finn murmured, breath catching as Poe's finger rubbed against the recently exposed head of his cock "-problem I have with this," Finn began, turning his head to nuzzle Poe as he arched slightly under his lover's touch.

"Mmm?" Poe wasn't terribly worried - Finn really was very expressive.

"Can't kiss you," He murmured. "Can't touch most of you …" to prove his point, his fingers clenched needfully on Poe's thighs.

"Oh," Poe smiled, glad that's all it was. "I think we can do something about that …" almost as soon as he was done talking, Finn had wriggled around and was kneeling on the bed, then leaning forward to capture Poe's mouth in a hungry, needy kiss.

Before the angle could get very awkward, there was a chime at the door.

Which they both ignored in favor of kissing each other until it came again, followed by beeps and chirps that Poe could hear through the door. *[ Open the door, master Poe! We have something to show Master Finn! ]* came BB1 lower pitched beeps.

"Kriffing cockblocking droid …" Poe grumbled, causing Finn to laugh as he rolled off Poe and onto the bed. Poe gave him a longing glance as he stood, wishing he could Make A Point by answering the door naked, but the droid wouldn't care one bit.

*[ I'll start overriding the locks, Master Po-ohh there you are! ]* BB-8 said, rolling into the room, followed by BB-1.

Finn was tugging on a pair of pants and tossed another pair at Poe.

*[ You need to come see. ]* *[ We finished Master Finn's room! ]* *[ I borrowed some special paint!]* *[ It's very colorful! ]*

"Okay, okay!" Poe said as he stepped into the pants. "Slow down, buddy!" he said with a laugh. "You finished FiInn's room?" he confirmed.

*[ Yes. While you were away, General Organa said I could. You came back early but I wanted to finish anyway. And Abbi helped. ]*

*[ Helped? ]* came the indigent squawk.

*[ Okay we finished it for him. ]* the two droids bumped together just lightly and Poe was reminded of a high five.

"Abbi?" Poe asked, grabbed the shirt as Finn caught it, tugging it on over his head. "Who's Abbi?"

BB1 burbled at him. *[ That's what BB-8 calls me. It's too confusing to the humans to have two BB-named units around. So BB-8, and a BB-1, A-BB-1, Abbi ]* she explained and Poe translated for Finn. 

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Abbi," Finn said, crouching onto one knee the way Poe did. Poe couldn't help but notice what that position did for Finn's ass, absently wondering if it did the same for his.

"They're very keen that we go see what they've done with your room," Poe chuckled, sitting down to pull his boots on. 

"Yeah," Finn was lacing up his own boots, and it went unspoken, hanging in the air that Finn had his own room and that this was Poe's. Poe didn't want to not share his space with Finn, but he knew Finn needed his own space. 

Once dressed, they followed the droids through the halls. Since it was Finn's room, hung back and let him open the door, following the two droids in.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finn had almost forgotten his color burst of a room when the droids arrived. What touched him the most was that BB-8 had begun the project while he and Poe were away. When they said it was finished, he figured the two unfinished walls had been completed, and perhaps the whole place gone over with sealant.

What he saw instead took his breath away. Not only had they finished the chartreuse and purple walls, but more splashes of color had been added to them, similar to how the other two had been done. He noticed a few of the splashes on 'his' walls had been changed, but the overall effect made the whole thing come together. "It's amazing," he breathed.

Even more impressive than the walls, however, were the floor and ceiling. He didn't want to try and think about how the round little droids had done it, but the ceiling was painted as well. A full color space vista, colorful nebulae backed by an array of stars. The floor was done in swirls of more muted colors, reminiscent of a flower bed. 

*[ There's more, let us show you! ]* BB-8 declared. A nudge at Poe prompted the other man in and FiInn reached a hand for him, smiling when their fingers laced together. 

A grappling hook pulled the door closed while Abbi worked on the lights from a tiny low-placed control panel. 

The light came off and Finn heard Poe gasp. He'd noticed a slight sheen to the entire paint job, but had assumed it was some kind of sealant.

Instead it was a kind of luminescent paint. The stars on the ceiling glowed, and there were stars on the four walls as well. Even the floor had shimmer to it. It was beautiful, and somehow not bright - it wasn't likely to keep either of them awake. "It's beautiful," Finn murmured. "Thank you, both of you," He tried to ignore the fact that he was slightly choked up. 

He felt a presence behind him and Poe's arms, one around his stomach, the other around his shoulders. "We can move in here if you want," he purred and Finn's stomach clenched happily.

"But you've got your room all moved into, I don't have much stuff-"

"I also have plain walls, and I want this," he murmured. "I want to sleep here with you every night, surrounded by YOUR color and THEIR stars. "I know we could get them to do this in my room but then someone else will get this one and paint over it and … no."

Finn turned in Poe's arms, his own twining around the pilot's neck. "Okay, we'll move in here," he promised and sealed it with a slow kiss.

They were interrupted by some chirping and a slight nudge from BB-8. *[ Master Poe you have to be at the air field in five minutes, ]* he advised the pilot.

Finn drew back with a soft sigh as the lights came back on. "I'll start moving our stuff in, I've got half an hour before I need to meet with your dad."

Even so it was a few more kisses before they could draw apart.

Once Poe was gone, Finn began with the hover cart from the ship, never having unpacked it to begin with. He was heading back for a second load when he saw Kes. "Captain," he nodded.

"That's the room you were assigned before you two left, isn't it?"

"Yessir,"

"Should I be worried?"

"Nosir," Finn shook his head. "We're both moving into here," he said. "The droids, well … they … come in," he said, pushing the empty cart back into the room. "I started, did those two walls before I left. I was in the middle of that one," He nodded to the chartreuse one, "When Poe and I left. Apparently, the General gave BB-8 permission to finish it. And this is what they did," he said, gesturing at the two walls they'd finished. "And …" He moved to the light switch and pulled the door closed. "Poe was very enthused about moving in here."

"Yeah, he would be. I think one reason he likes flying so much is it's the easiest way to get into space," Kes chuckled as Finn turned the lights back on.

Finn checked the time. "I'll finish moving everything over later, we're due at the crater in ten minutes," The crater being an ancient meteor site a bit north of the air field. It's flat bottom and sharply defined area gave it the perfect place to run drills and the various war games the pair had discussed.

The first day of training the troops didn't go exceptionally well. 

None of them had been a serious soldier previously, and it took three hours just to get a proper line up out of them. Once they could line up on command, Kes had them break for lunch, with orders to report back in an hour, and anyone late was going to do twenty pushups. Finn had been tempted to over ride that to fifty, which still felt soft. But it was only the first day, and none of them had ever been proper soldiers.

Ten minutes after lunch was over, not entirely half of the troops had trickled back in.

"Suggestions, Sergeant?" Kes whispered, standing beside Finn, arms crossed scowling that the minimally assembled troops.

Finn was similarly posed, though he guessed his scowl was less imposing. Being behind a mask all the time didn't encourage one to be facially stoic. "Make them all do thirty or more pushups, sir," He whispered back after a moment's thought. "They're a team and they didn't act like it, letting their companions be late."

"Good call. The original twenty, plus one more for every one who didn't get here on time?"

Finn gave a tiny nod. "That would be fair, sir," And close to the fifty he would have assigned.

In the end, a few runners had to be sent to round up the last handful, and by then it was more than half an hour after they were meant to have reassembled.

Finn watched the troops, scanning for any sign of real mutiny while Kes delivered their ruling. There were mutters and a few shouts of protests - I got here on time! Was the main and loudest of them.

A beat passed and Finn stepped forward, hoping Kes didn't mind. "But you left your squadmates behind," He pointed out. "This unit is not every man for himself. You are a team and you need to act like it. What if this had been the last ship off the planet? Would you ride comfortably knowing half of your team was still down there because YOU didn't bother to look for them? Your responsibility is as much to the others in your unit as it is to yourselves. Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes, Sir," Came the response, not very enthused but he felt he got the point across.

"Private Lan," Kes barked as Fnn stepped back. "Front and center,"

The private jumped but followed orders, not looking at Finn as he passed him. "Sir!" he stood at a poor semblance of attention.

"Why didn't you agree with Sergeant Dameron just now?"

"I did," he said defiantly.

"You did not. Your lips did not move. And you were one of the last to arrive here."

His response was muttered.

"What was that, soldier?"

"I said I don't have to listen to any stormtrooper garbage, sir," it was barely audible now.

Kes looked around, a mask of confusion on his face. "I don't see any stormtroopers here," he said finally.

"He is," Lan's chin jerked in Finn's direction.

"Are you accusing Sergeant Dameron of First Order sympathies?" he asked crisply. 

"Well, he's one of them!" Lan protested.

"Does anyone else agree with Lan here? If so, front and center."

To Finn's surprise, only two out of the close to sixty assembled bodies joined Private Lan. 

"You three, one hundred pushups, now," Kes ordered. "NOW!" he barked when they didn't obey. "The rest of you, fifty," he ordered.

Finn felt his stomach curdle at the looks of hate he got from the three soldiers at the front. In spite of himself, he also memorized their names and faces.

"I'll talk to the general this evening about this," Kes murmured as they stood side by side, both silently counting.

"It's not necessary, sir. I told you they wouldn't respect me."

"They need to. They need to understand one's past doesn't define them," he said.

"Thank you, sir. You Damerons don't like people challenging your friends, do you?" he murmured.

"You did mention Poe scaring people off, what was that about?"

"I'm not meant to know about it, but someone told me of the altercation. It was outside my hospital room before I woke up. One of the techs, I believe, said something to Poe. They … had words. I was assured that Poe didn't take the first swing, but he did land the first hit."

Kes' lips twitched and Finn could almost hear his internal chuckle. "That's my boy," he said proudly.

When the main group was done with their pushups, they were told to stand at attention while the others finished theirs. Finally the three in front were returned to the group at large and Kes had Finn drill them again.

They finally cut them loose at dinner time, reminding them what time to be here in the morning.

"Enjoy your meal, sir," Finn said, once they reached the mess hall. "I'm going to grab a sandwich and finish moving our things," he said.

"Join me, the room's been taken care of," Kes said, laughing at Finn's surprise. "I had BB-8 round up a few off duty droids and move everything over this afternoon, they should be done by now."

"T-thank you, Kes," he said with a smile.

At dinner, they were joined at the large table by Poe, two of his pilots, and some of the older staff who'd known Kes from the previous war.

"... mom's flight suit. Even with the sleeves rolled up, he was drowning in it," Kes finished relaying a story of Poe's childhood.

"In my defence, she said it was the one she'd worn in the very last days of the rebellion." Finn smiled into his drink - that meant it was the one she'd worn as Leia's personal pilot.

"And what the Captain hasn't mentioned," the General said, bringing everyone's attention to the fact that she stood there. "Is that Poe's mother sent me a picture him in her flight suit," her eyes twinkled.

"But … you left it somewhere else, right, General?" Poe asked with such hope that Finn had to take a sip of juice to hide his laugh. "You don't have it here on base?"

"Maybe. I"ll have to look through my things," She said evasively and Finn had no doubt that not only did she have it, she knew exactly where it was. "Captain Dameron, you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes ma'am," he said, wiping his mouth and standing quickly.

"I'll take care of it, Dad," Poe said when Kes began to fuss with his tray.

"Thanks, good evening, everyone," Kes addressed the table, then followed the General towards the command center.

That seemed to be the signal for the gathering to dissolve. On their way back, Poe went to take the turn to his old room. Finn took his hand. "Your dad arranged to have everything moved," he smiled.

"Oh. Then let's go unpack, move in and properly christen the place."

The wiggle in Poe's eyebrows made Finn wait until they were alone to ask what he meant by christen the place.

The droids had done a good job, approximating the layout of Poe's room, allowing for different dimensions.

It took an hour before they were satisfied as to the furniture arrangements. "I like it," Poe declared from the center of the room, turning slowly. Finn was doing the same. "Maybe get me a second dresser, I don't want to keep hogging your clothes," he murmured.

"But I *like* you wearing my clothes, sweetheart," Poe chuckled smoothing down the lines of the shirt Finn wore. Requisitions hadn't come through yet on uniforms for him or Kes.

"Maybe I want you to be able to wear mine," Finn said, feeling suddenly shy.

"Oh," Poe nodded, eyes bright at the idea. "Okay, yes. Dresser for you, clothes shopping," he agreed with a grin. "It's good we're basically the same size," he purred.

"I like how some of your shirts are a bit snug on me," he chuckled.

"Believe me, sweetheart, I like it, too," Poe confirmed and drew him in for a slow kiss.

Not used to the grueling days of training any longer, Finn was too tired to do much more that evening then shower and climb into bed, and kiss Poe till he fell asleep. He was dimly aware of BB-8 and Abbi rolling in to plug in at their designated stations. Apparently BB-8 was quite happy with his old one and insisted that the "new" one be hers.

* * * * * * * * * *

The next day, Poe actually woke before Finn and smiled. He had seldom allowed himself the chance to just watch the other man. Finn was on his stomach and Poe could see the scar still marking his spine. It was fading but still very evident. He shifted carefully, leaning forward to brush a kiss lightly against the top of it. "You're so beautiful, Finn," he breathed at the sleeping form. Another kiss a bit further down. "You mean the world to me," he kept kissing his way down Finn's back, speaking between each one. "You saved my life ... on some planets ... that means you own me … I wouldn't mind that … being yours … I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy … I love you." he ended his trail at the bottom of the scar, just above Finn's hip.

"Love you too," Finn whispered sleepily and Poe moved up the bed and they exchanged some slow, sleepy kisses. It slowly grew more intense as Finn's hands pulled Poe closer, their legs fitting together and Poe's erection jutting against FiInn's hip. "Can I touch you?" He murmured. "Like you were yesterday?"

Poe's face went dark and hot and before he could answer, Finn shifted his hip, rubbing against the hard shaft and causing Poe's words to gurgle in his throat behind a strangled moan. He gripped Finn's forearms and finally nodded. "Yes, you can. Please, Finn," he breathed.

Finn had zero skill, but like in all other areas, he was a fast learner. HIs mouth worked lightly against Poe's as his fingers explored his length. "What were you thinking about yesterday, when you were doing this?" he asked. He carefully stroked Poe's balls, callused fingers remarkably gentle.

"Y-you," He whispered back, gasping as his fingers brushed against an extra sensitive area. He'd been right, Finn was taking his exquisitely slow time. But he was learning far faster than Poe would have anticipated.

"Us kissing?" He asked, fingers drifting over Poe's cock, then curling around the head. "Laying together?"

Poe groaned at the torturous touch. "A-and this, you … stroking me off," he whined softly. 

"Is that what this is called?" FiInn purred, nuzzling Poe's throat as his head fell back.

"S-sometimes, fuck, Finn I can't think like this," he groaned, rocking slightly to rub against Finn's hand.

Finn chuckled and pressed Poe back, making him sprawl on the bed. He hooked one leg over Poe's, his hand going back to Poe's erection. "So don't think," Finn whispered into his ear. "Just feel,"

And Poe could feel his higher functions shut down in the wake of that voice and the hand that went with it. With Finn touching him, and Finn's weight against his shoulder and mouth against his skin, he knew he wouldn't be lasting very long at all. What finally set him off was Finn speaking again. "You look so beautiful like this."

He cried Finn's name when he came, hard enough to splash onto his chest and coat Finn's hand as he lay panting. Clearly recalling what Poe had said, Finn released him soon after Poe was finished, wrapping the arm round his waist and cuddling to his side, purring as if Finn was the one who'd just come hard enough that his toes were numb.

Poe must've drifted to sleep because he woke up to a soft cloth on his chest. Forcing his eyes open, he saw a freshly showered - and gloriously naked - Finn wiping him clean. "I wish I could do the same for you," he said quietly, unable to ignore the small wave of sadness that Finn couldn't experience things quite the same.

"I know," Finn leaned down, capturing his mouth in a slow kiss. "I really don't mind it. I love what we *do* do, and just having you in my life makes up for absolutely everything," he said.

Poe pushed himself up, resting on one elbow, his other hand in Finn's still damp hair, holding him close for a kiss. "Enjoy your run," he murmured. "See you later?"

"If not for lunch, definitely for dinner," Finn promised and after one more slow kiss, Poe was treated to the sight of Finn dressing. He always did like it, and he noticed that Finn always seemed to go running in clothes that had been, up until then, entirely Poe's, not the ones Poe had given him. He felt a possessive shiver at that and let himself relax, half dozing until it was time to get up.

* * * * * * * * * *

What surprised Finn the most was that Lan and the others not only arrived early to muster, but stood at attention more sharply than the others. "Did you have a word with them?" He asked Kes as the troops did their morning workout.

"No, I had a word with the general. If it were up to me, I'd've had them shipped off to the farthest populated planet within half a day," he muttered.

"Oh," Finn nodded. It was certainly more humane than what the First Order did.

"She rightly pointed out that D'qar is one disgruntled resistance fighter away from the First Order discovering us, again."

"Good point," he agreed. "They certainly seem behaved enough. We'll see how lunch goes," he said.

Finn's lunch was spent with Abbi, BB-8 and a few of the other droids and techs who could understand, or wanted to learn Binary.

He and Poe overlapped just enough to share a quick kiss under his X-wing. Finn caught him just as he landed, while on his way back to the crater. He gave Poe time to get the helmet off, but nothing else. It was only down to Abbi's scolding and a rather hard run at Finn's foot that he wasn't late for getting back to the crater.

Finn noticed that beside Kes was an open box of data chips. "Homework already?" he asked, watching everyone reassemble.

"MMmm. Found a history of the galactic rebellion, fairly accurate, lot of details on the battles and tactics. Figure give it to them now, then start assigning on it once they've had time to read it."

"Good idea," he said, resuming his usual position. Today was just as grueling as the day before, but the lines came together a bit more easily, attention was a bit more uniform.

The only disappointing part of the day was being informed that Poe had been sent on a brief recon mission and wouldn't be back until late. Finn missed his lover but took advantage of the time to work on his Binary.

He was dimly aware of Poe slipping into their bed that night and woke long enough to imitate a hungry rathtar, coiling himself around Poe, tucking his head under his chin and savoring his scent as Poe's arms wrapped around him.

The following morning, Finn woke first, finding Poe curled up behind him, spooning him, cock hard against his ass. Checking the clock, deciding he could skip a lap if he wanted to, Finn licked his lips as he pressed back. At first, the only response was a rumbling n Poe's chest and a tightening of his arm around Finn's waist.

Then Finn did it again, a deliberate press of his hips backwards, hips rolling, feeling the moisture on his skin. This time he was rewarded by another groan. "Finn?" came the sleepy rumble against his shoulder.

"Yeah?" his breath caught when he felt Poe snuggle up, chest to back, hot breath on his neck. "I-is this okay?" He shifted his hips just a little, prompting a sharp gasp huff from Poe.

"Yeah, this is very okay," Poe breathed. "You don't mind?"

"Mm-mmm," Finn shook his head. "I like that there's so many ways to make you come," he said honestly. Reaching back, his face flushed as he took Poe's hand and guided it down to his own genitals.

Picking up the message, Poe curled his fingers perfectly around Finn's cock and balls. "I love you, Finn," He whispered, grinding himself against Finn's ass.

"I love you too," Making sure not to pull away from Poe's hand, Finn did his best to match his movements, and the two quickly worked out a rhythm. Finn could tell as Poe got closer, the pilot's grip got incrementally tighter. Finn was riding the razor's edge of almost-pain and loving it when he felt Poe jerk sharply and groan Finn's name into his ear.

Poe was panting raggedly against Finn's neck and Finn felt a slow wave of deep satisfaction slide through his body, straight to his bones. Poe's hand went limp and Finn turned, nuzzling Poe, a hand on his hip as he brushed light little kisses against his face and chin. "My Poe," he whispered shyly.

"Mmmmm, all yours," Poe agreed, eyes opening to smile at Finn.

Recalling something that might have been a dream, Finn spoke quietly "I don't want to own you, but I want you to be mine. Does that make sense?"

"That makes perfect sense, Finn," he promised. "I feel the same way," Poe said and Finn felt his chest swell as he leaned forward and kissed him with more hunger than he had yet that morning.

It took BB-8 tugging the blankets off them to get Finn off on his run after a quick shower.

The rest of the week followed in a similar pattern. Slow, sleepy loving in the morning, Finn's run, occasionally meeting for lunch, watching the troops slowly improve. Dinner with Poe and friends, and spending whatever time he could spare either with Poe, or learning binary. Sometimes both. And to his surprise, making a few friends.

Saturday morning, Finn sleepily batted at something tickling his neck. Then it tickled his cheek and he twitched his face to banish it. Then it tickled his nose and he opened his eyes to see Poe's hand. "What time is it?" he asked as he rolled over to face his lover.

"Early yet, sun's not up. I, er … I have a surprise for you," Poe said shyly.

"Oh?" Finn perked, hand resting on Poe's hip, careful of his ticklish spot. 

"Mmm, but we gotta get going," he said, pushing Finn onto his back to kiss him, sliding over him and off the bed before Finn could catch him. Finn watched his ass jiggle until it was hidden under pants. 

Rising, he took care of his morning ablutions before dressing, in the pile of clothes Poe handed him. "A very carefully planned surprise, I see," Finn chuckled, dressing quickly. The clothes were a bit warm for local weather, and his curiosity was most certainly piqued.

Once dressed, Poe made sure they both had jackets - Finn wearing his treasured one from Poe.

As they stepped out, they spotted Kes heading towards his hallway.

"Morning, boys," he said with a smile. "Early run?" He asked, eyeing their clothes, Finn seeing the faintest of twinkles in his eye. He'd've missed it if it wasn't so very much like his son's. 

"No, I'm taking Finn on a surprise flight," Poe said.

"Oh! Enjoy yourselves!" he said with a smile before continuing on his way.

It wasn't even sunrise, Finn found himself wondering what had Kes out and about this early.

Poe's hand in his pushed that thought away. It was only once they stepped into the predawn light that he recalled "We have today off," he said.

"Yeah .. you didn't remember?"

"I don't … weekends aren't a thing in the first orde-" he was cut off by Poe's mouth and let his arms slide around his waist.

"You have today off, *and* tomorrow off." Poe took his hand, leading Finn to one of the training X-wings, a trifle larger than the usual ones, to allow for two seats. "Come on, it's the fastest thing that'll carry us both," Poe urged him up the ladder.

They were soon on their way, Poe showing off on the short flight to the far side of the planet. 

When they emerged, it was fully dark. Finn hopped down, then took the large box that Poe handed him, secured unseen in the cockpit.

After laying out a blanket in a specifically chosen spot under a broad-trunked tree - Finn finally asked what was up.

"It's a picnic." Poe gestured to the blanket and foods. "And the reason for the picnic will be evident in about … half an hour," Poe sat back against the tree and Finn sat beside him, the box at their feet. Poe withdrew a few of the still warm plates.

It wasn't standard mess hall fare, and it was slightly familiar. He was a few bites in before it came to him. "Your dad?" He asked and Poe nodded. 

"I wanted something special for what is basically our first date."

Finn ate the delicious foods as Poe told him what they were, smiling at the idea of dating, considering what they'd been doing to each other in the mornings.

Finn found his near empty plate plucked from his hand. "Watch," Poe whispered, gesturing at the canyon just before them.

Finn was agog at the array of colors that began to appear in the sky. Greens and blues rippled across the starfield above, and from the canyon, reds and yellows and blinding purples were reflected in glittering crystals, resulting in a burst of color he couldn't quite believe. He was so utterly captivated by the play of colors that his breath caught and held.

"Breathe," Poe whispered and Finn sucked in a sudden breath at the reminder. He couldn't take his eyes off the colors. All too soon, they faded, and his breath finally returned to something like normal.

Poe might have been about to or even trying to say something, but Finn didn't hear it. He turned, pulling Poe close and kissing him bruisingly, having lost the power of speech and having no other way to express himself. Poe held him tightly and kissed back. 

They only burst apart when the need for air became greater than their need for each other. Finn had his hands on either side of Poe's face. "How … what … "

"It happens about once a year," Poe breathed. "Everything hits just right and … you get a light show second to none. I knew you'd like it," he caressed Finn's neck.

"I do, I really did. It's … it was amazing," he purred, kissing Poe again lightly, and again.

They stayed together, tucked around one another, sharing lazy kisses for a good while more. Finally Poe drew back, caressing Finn's face. "Wanna fly an x-wing?" he breathed.

Knowing just how much Poe loved to fly, and wanting to share it with him - and wanting to learn himself, it took Finn half a second to agree.

They spent about two hours flying before returning to the base. Some of that was Finn learning, a lot of it was Poe showing off to Finn's shrieks and whoops of joy.

As they disembarked and headed to their room to store the leftover food, a question occurred to Finn. "Do you think your dad would help me learn to cook?" he asked, still working out how to divide Captain Dameron from Kes, Poe's father most of the time.

"I think he'd love to teach you. He always lamented that I couldn't learn, and then I'd get pointed hints that if I didn't produce a grandchild soon, he'd be too old to pass on the family recipes."

"Oh, well, I mean if it's-" He stopped when he caught Poe's look. "I'd love to learn the family recipes," he said, feeling a bit sheepish but also very pleased.

After depositing the leftovers into their small fridge, they went in search of Kes. BB-1 informed them that he was in the command center. "Best not to bug him there," Finn thought out loud. "Not for something … not work related."

Instead, they ended up on the wing of Poe's X-wing and just talked. They'd been so busy with the previous week, they hadn't had much time to just sit and share. They still had their colder weather clothes on so it wasn't long before they were each stripped down to their undershirts. They eventually climbed down, sitting on the tarmac in the shade of the X-wing. Poe was leaning against one wheel arm, Finn facing him, close enough to lean in to steal a kiss occasionally. It was during one of these that someone found them.

"Now there's a recruitment poster if I ever saw one," Kes said slyly, lowering a camera and tucking it into his pocket. "Join the Resistance, Kiss Handsome Pilots!" he said.

"No, it's Join The Resistance, Kiss Handsome Hurricanes," Poe corrected with a laugh.

"Poe," Finn shook his head, though he couldn't stop the smile. 

"Abbi said you were looking for me," Kes said, crawling under the flier to join them.

"Yessir," Finn said. "First, thank you for breakfast," he smiled. "I wondered why you were skulking about at that hour,"

"You're more than welcome," he chuckled. "Poe told me to make it special, I hope I delivered."

"You did dad, thanks," Poe smiled.

"I know we're all really busy around here, even on … weekends … but could you give me some tips on cooking?"

"He means teach him, dad," Poe said, taking Finn's hand and squeezing it. "He did all the cooking while we were on the ship and he's got a pretty good hand at it. We've just been too busy here to do anything about it."

"I'd love to teach you, Finn," Kes said with a smile. "We might even wrangle this one for chopping and prep," Kes reached over and ruffled Poe's hair - already less than neat from Finn's hands through it. 

Poe ducked away with a grimace but he was laughing. 

Finn watched them, feeling the affection they had, enjoying the closeness, and when Poe's arm reached for him, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to tuck into his side as plans were made for a family dinner the following day.

* * * * * * * * * *

Somehow, a cooking lesson on Sunday afternoon morphed into a large Sunday dinner. First, Kes asked if it would be alright to invite the General, to make the numbers more even.

Then while Finn was helping Poe raid the base foodstore - with permission - for things for the meal, one of Kes' old friends had sniffed out that he was making one of his well known dishes. So he and a few other cohorts received invitations.

From there, Snap, Jess and the rest of Poe's squad was invited.

In all, some twenty people were coming and they ended up having to set up in another room entirely. 

Without being allowed near the stove, Poe was doing what he could. Mostly chopping, stirring and prep. About two hours before the meal was meant to begin, he was sent to answer the door. "General Organa! I-" he looked back at the two in the kitchen. "We're not quite ready." He checked his watch, wondering if he'd lost track of time that severely.

"I know, Kes said this has become something of an event, so I thought I'd come help," she said as she breezed passed him.

He closed the door, turning back just in time to see his father lean down and press a light kiss to the General's cheek.

She was rolling up her sleeves as Poe returned to the table just outside small kitchenette. "You should have told me how many you were cooking for, Kes, I would have authorized one of the base kitchens for you."

"It wasn't planned this way, ma'am," Kes said as he transferred some dark red mash from Finn's bowl into one Poe had been chopping vegetables into.

"I know," she procured a knife and bowl and stole half of Poe's pile of vegetables. "But to be honest, a lot of people are excited, even the ones who aren't coming. Not much … happens around here that's purely good. Apparently we aren't the only dinner party tonight, you've kicked off a trend."

With Leia's help, the chopping went almost twice as fast, and it wasn't long before they were washing their hands and getting put on bread duty. "I was going to do it but with you both here, I can teach Finn a little more, if that's alright."

"Sure dad," Poe smiled "That's whole reason this thing started, isn't it?"

"Yes it is," Kes agreed, turning away from the table, just in time to bump into Leia, hands going to waists and shoulders to steady each other. "You alright?"

"Yes," she said brightly. "When you're my size you get used to everyone else hulking about," she promised. She gave his waist a pat before stepping gracefully aside and up to the table, helping Poe by measuring out and adding the ingredients as he mixed. He couldn't cook but he knew a lot of recipes by heart.

At the mention of her size, and as often happened around Leia, Poe found himself slouching, his whole body compressing and shortening a little. Nothing obvious, but his he sometimes felt a bit odd, being so much taller than his hero. The hero-worship had faded before he'd even left his teens, but she was still his idol and inspiration. Well … one of his inspirations. Finn was taking that role quite a bit more than he'd expected.

Whenever Poe introduced Finn to something new, Poe shared some of that unadulterated giddy joy and it was almost like it was new to Poe, as well. He wouldn't have called himself *jaded*, but the last year or so he'd been feeling a touch … world-weary. He blamed it on the war, but whatever the cause, it was just starting to tickle at his edges. Now the only tickle he got was from Finn when his touch was a bit too light, or his eyes a bit too mischievous.

"Poe!" A hand to his arm got his attention, and he blinked smiling down at the General. "Everything okay? You went away for a minute there."

"Oh, sorry!" He resumed stirring, working in the ingredients she'd added to the bowl. "I was just thinking."

"About Finn?" she asked, pitching her voice so it wouldn't carry beyond their table.

"That obvious, ma'am?" he said with a faint smile.

"Not exactly, but you were staring at his ass the entire time," she said, causing Poe to almost choke at his own sharp intake of breath. "Not that I blame you," she said, resuming measuring out ingredients for what was now their third batch of bread.

"You've been checking out Finn's ass?" he half whispered in surprise.

"Not deliberately but," she nodded towards the kitchenette just as Finn was bending to wipe a small spill, "it can be hard to miss."

He managed not to get lost in thought that time, snapping his eyes back to the bowl and mixing vigorously to the sound of the general laughing.

Dinner itself was everything one would have expected. Loud, messy, and one of the best things to happen to most the attendants in a while. Stories of the old war were relayed to the younger generation, including one about a garbage chute.

"So that's why!" Finn said as the laughter died down. Then he launched into an animated explanation of how the shields had come down and what they'd done with Phasma after. Poe noticed he never actually said Han's name, saying either 'we', 'they' or Chewie' but they all knew.

As the laughter faded, before it could morph into quiet grief, Leia stood and tapped her glass. "I'd like to take this opportunity to offer a toast," she said, lifting her glass and the others followed suit. "To old friends gone but not forgotten," she lifted her glass, then turned and nodded to Finn. "And to new ones, may they become old ones," she said and much to Poe's satisfaction, that toast was greeted enthusiastically, and the meal resumed it's jovial course.

As he leaned over and kissed Finn's cheek, Poe noticed his father and Leia leaning close, foreheads almost touching as they spoke quietly.

"Hey, Finn," he whispered, leaning close again. "D'you know if Dad and the general have a thing?"

"A thing?" he repeated, noticing them. "Not that I know of." He shook his head. "They are old friends, they both knew General Solo pretty well. I shouldn't have brought him up." Finn sighed.

Poe's hand went to rest on Finn's back, just between his shoulder blades. "No, it's good. We'll never completely stop grieving, but it's always better to remember the good times, and it reminded everyone that he went out a hero."

Finn pursed his lips and nodded, giving Poe a gentle kiss before straightening a little. "You're right," he said with a smile.

Poe tucked back into his own meal, adjusting his legs so his thigh pressed against Finn's.

The food itself had been laid out buffet style down the center of the table before anyone arrived, but when it came time to clear the dishes, everyone stood to help, and Poe could see it would get very chaotic very quickly. Kes got everyone's attention, then and began assigning tasks - silverware, glasses, plates, each assigned to someone, then the original four were recruited to serve up dessert. It only took one look from Leia quell any protests about 'but she's the General!'

Allowing for the volume of people, they'd made four pies, one per person to hand out the slices. As Poe was dishing up his chocolate cream pie, Leia was laughing at how messy her cherry pie was. Finn was handling his bowberry a bit more deftly after the first two mangled slices. And Kes was dishing out the apple, Shara's favorite - as commented on by a few of the older guests.

After dessert and coffee, most of the guests melted away, and Leia shooed the others off. Just as before, she rolled up her sleeves and helped with the cleanup.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finn had known as soon as he began telling it, that his story about Solo could derail the entire dinner, but he hadn't been able to stop. It was only Leia's graceful intervention, he was certain, that stopped it. 

He could very much see why Poe idolized her. Oh, his lover - he grinned at that term - was aware of her very human flaws, and related to her as a person now, but she would always be his hero. She was the sort of person Poe aspired to be, kind, generous, graceful, and strong. 

Finn didn't have anyone he really looked up to, not the same way. He had once aspired to be like Phasma, to earn that chrome armour. But right now, he just strove to be the good man Poe believed him to be.

"Finn," Kes got Finn's attention with a hand on his shoulder. "You boys get on home, I can finish up here."

"Are you sure?" Finn dried the glass he had in his hand before replacing it.

"Yeah, go on," he drew Finn away by his shoulders and turned him towards Poe, who Leia was similarly dismissing with a flick of a towel.

Seeing the other, both men relented and were soon back in their room, stripping for bed, tucking some leftovers into their small fridge. 

Poe beat Finn to bed so when he climbed in, he was able to lay half over Poe as they kissed. At Poe's silent urging, he shifted to lay fully over him, their bodies pressed together under the covers.

Poe's hands rested on Finn's back, rubbing gently as they kissed, slowly and languidly. Eventually, the kissing slowed and were punctuated by yawns. "Big spoon or little spoon?" Poe finally asked sleepily, eyes hovering at half mast.

"You pick," Finn was finding he liked the big spoon best. Liked being able to hold Poe during the night, the only thing in the world that was really his and that no one could take away.

Poe nudged Finn off to his side and tucked his back against Finn's chest. Finn gave a happy purr and wrapped his arm around Poe, pulling him close, flush from shoulder to knee. Another advantage of Finn being the big spoon, no distracting erection.

"Finn?" Poe's voice was soft in the darkness, and Finn was reminded of a conversation in another bed on another planet.

"Mmm?" Finn nuzzled Poe's shoulder.

"It really doesn't bother you?" Poe's fingers laced through Finn's where they rested on his belly.

"What?"

"That you don't get hard."

"I've never known anything else," he said quietly. They talked a lot during the day, but at night, the darkness allowed for thoughts and conversations that would wither under the light. "Does it bother you?" he asked softly.

Poe was a long time answering and Finn would have worried he'd fallen asleep except for the absence of his light snores. "I worry that our sex isn't fulfilling for you," he finally said, squeezing Finn's fingers tightly.

Finn slid his other arm under Poe and hugged him tightly, face pressed into his neck. "I love you," he began. "Just because I don't get hard and come, doesn't mean I don't enjoy watching *you* do it," he murmured. "Especially when I can help. It's the closest thing to flying you can do on the ground, I heard Snap say that the other day. That good sex is like flying on the ground."

Poe chuckled and Finn felt the gentle vibrations throughout his entire body. "Okay. Yeah, he's right. And now I have to find out *who* Snap is, ah, flying with," Poe said. 

"I think one of the techs from yellow squadron, they were pretty close at lunch the other day," Finn knew exactly why Poe kept tabs on his squad's relationships. He needed to know who to talk to if a mission ever bad.

"Thanks," Poe murmured, then his voice turned serious again. "He's right, sex is almost as good as flying. But … I still feel like I'm leaving you stranded on the ground."

"No, Poe," Finn said, tightening his arms. "I'm not grounded. I'm right there with you," he promised. "In the jump seat, just like on the Liminality." He pressed a kiss to Poe's shoulder.

"If … would you *want* to be a copilot? Instead of just a passenger?" Poe asked quietly.

It was Finn's turn to think long and hard over his answer. It wasn't like Poe to push, and he wasn't, but … Finn took a breath. "There's something you want to do that we can't," he said quietly. It was less of a question and more of a realization.

Poe's body stiffened, then he curled in around himself in the space of two heartbeats, clutching Finn's hands to his chest tightly. "It's not … I don't *need* it, I like - I LOVE what we do, Finn," the words came quickly and Finn hugged Poe tightly.

"Shh-shhh," Finn soothed. "I know you love what we do, but I don't want you to have to give up things because you're with me."

"It's not that, I love it, I love everything you do," he Poe said quietly, holding tight to FInn's hand at his chest, "I'll … we'll work it out, hmm? Maybe … try a few things?" he asked quietly, his voice as small as he'd ever heard.

"We'll try whatever you want. It's all new to me, and as long as you're involved, it's all wonderful," he assured Poe, nuzzling his ear.

When Poe let go of his arms suddenly and pulled away, Finn worried, but not for long. Poe was soon facing him, reaching for him and kissing him. Finn responded in kind, arms around Poe, pouring his emotions into the kiss. Poe wasn't very hard at first, then Finn felt the growth against his leg.

Smiling into the kiss, Finn's hand slid from Poe's back to his hip, and was soon stroking the other man. Poe whined against his mouth but arched into the kiss. Poe tugged at his shoulder and Finn found himself laid over him like they'd been before. One arm braced some of his weight, so he wasn't crushing Poe, the other kept stroking Poe as he kissed him. It didn't take long before Poe cried out his name and his back arched, leaving them both sticky.

Finn released him after a few gentle strokes to milk the last of him, then moved to his side tugging him close. It wasn't usual that they got to cuddle after sex, so Finn liked it when they could.

Poe curled against Finn, arm and leg draped over his chest, head on his shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered. "For understanding and for being you."

"Don't know how to be anyone else." Finn smiled, pressing a kiss to Poe's damp curls.

"Should wash off but I don't plan on moving, so ngh," Poe mumbled as he nuzzled Finn's shoulder before settling down in earnest.

"Don't wanna move either." And some part of him liked the residue of Poe's pleasure drying on his skin - the rest had come off against the blanket as they settled.

Poe's quiet snoring eventually lulled Finn to sleep.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

With trying to whip Leia's ground forces into shape, it was almost a week before Finn could manage to get to the infirmary. He finally skipped lunch on Friday to make the time.

His and Poe's conversation hadn't come up again, and there was no apparent diminishing of enthusiasm, but it had been needling at Finn's mind. Why *did* he never get hard? Not even during sleep. He never woke up hard the way Poe did.

He smiled at the memory of that morning as he waited for one of the doctors. 

He wasn't surprised to see it was one of the surgeons who'd cared for his spine after he'd been brought back from Starkiller.

"Finn," she said warmly. "I was wondering if we'd see you back. Not that there's anything wrong, but with an injury of your magnitude it's not surprising to have things pop up later on. What can I help you with?"

"I can't get an erection. It's not because of my back," he said when she opened her mouth. "I've *never* had one. I didn't know it was possible. I don't know why I can't, but I want to be able to," he finished.

"Oh. In any other case, I'd have a number of recommendations. You aren't the first man with that *general* problem, but given that you've never, I'm concerned about the underlying condition. Would you be alright if I gave you a physical, first? We've been meaning to get you in for one, anyway."

Finn nodded, answered some questions, changed into a loose robe, underwent some scans, answered some more questions. Finally he was seated on the exam table, knees apart, chill air tickling his balls. Her hands were cool and her touch was firm, and it didn't bother him the way Garak's had, despite being exponentially more intimate. It also didn't appeal the way Poe's touch did.

"I don't see any obvious signs of trauma or other injury. No scarring is evident. It could well be simply a product of the upbringing you suffered, your mind found it too traumatic, and had to shut down certain processes. We've seen similar things over the years. You've obviously undergone some kind of puberty, so I'm not inclined to think that's the problem, but I can't entirely rule it out. What I'm going to do for now, is go ahead and prescribe one of those other solutions, just in case."

Finn could feel the small packet of pills in his pocket the rest of the day. A suggestion to Kes that the Hurricanes had been doing well and deserve an early quit for the weekend was greeted with agreement and carried out. 

He had about an hour before Poe was due to finish his patrol. Finn read the directions, and read them again, making sure he wasn't doing anything he shouldn't be. Take with food - he grabbed half a sandwich left from dinner the night before. Only take one pill every 24 hours. He only had four. Time to effectiveness, from half an hour to two hours. He wasn't sure he'd want to be hard for half an hour waiting for Poe. He didn't have any idea how it worked, really. He finally ate the sandwich, as well as a bowl of leftover chili from Kes, then dry swallowed the pill. He'd been worried that he'd react poorly to a pill - his first since leaving the first order. But since it followed good food, he barely noticed it.

After swallowing the medication, he tucked the box and the printed directions under the nightstand. He decided to change into one of the outfits that Poe liked best on him and lay on the bed with a binary text to wait for him. 

* * * * * * * * * *

The last time BB-8 had been so frantic to get to Poe as he left his X-Wing had been when Finn first brought the droid back.

*[ Get to your room quick Finn's in pain!! ]* the droid instructed frantically.

"Have you called medical?" He asked as he broke into a run, dodging the others on the airfield.

*[ He said not to but I can go now? ]*

"Let me see, first, if he's well enough to communicate."

Poe found Finn curled up on their bead, arms wrapped around his head, shaking. "Finn, Finn are you okay?" he asked, moving to sit on the bed, a hand resting on Finn's arm.

Finn jumped a mile, hissing softly. "Don't," he whispered and Poe could hear the pain. "Hurts," he added quickly.

"Okay, sweetheart, I won't touch," he said, balling his fists, aching to pull Finn into his arms and make everything better. "BB-8's gone to get someone from medical," he said, watching the droid zip out of the room. Abbi was hovering near the door, just inside, watching the proceedings with what Poe recognized as anxious rolling circles.

"Tol' him no," Finn whispered.

"Well, I told him to go," Poe said firmly. He could see how tightly closed Finn's eyes were. Then he realized the lights were off, but the window was open, showing streaming sunlight right onto their bed. He stood and pulled the curtain closed. Neither droid could have closed it. "Is that better, sweetheart?" He asked, suspecting a migraine.

"Little," Finn breathed, though there was no noticeable change in his composure.

The sharp knock made Finn hiss and curl up tighter. Poe bounded up before it could be repeated. "He's light sensitive, and touch is painful, and apparently loud sounds are painful," he explained before stepping aside to let them in.

He ached to be by his side, but he knew he'd just be in the way, especially in the cramped space. One of them corralled him to outside for questions while the others worked on Finn, thankfully with as little touch as possible. "I was just getting off shift when BB-8 came to get me." The droid chirped. "BB-8 found him like this about ten minutes ago, and Finn asked him not to go to medical."

"The troops let out early, do you know how he was feeling at that time?"

"No, you'd have to ask Captain Dameron about that," he said.

"Ask me about what?" Kes' voice came from down hallway. "What's going on? Is Finn alright?" he could see Poe and the nurse in front of the open door but nothing further in.

"Not good. How was he when you guys quit for the day?"

"Fine. Actually talked me into letting them all go a little early. I figured he just wanted to get a jump start on the weekend," Kes shrugged.

"So in the space of forty five minutes," the nurse said, checking times with both men, "He went from fine to that. Any idea what might've caused it?"

Before they could answer, Finn let out a cry and it took his father and the nurse to keep him from bolting into the room to find out what happened. He was still struggling when he finally got a glimpse of Finn. He was on a hoverbed this time and Poe stopped trying to break the holds on him. "Is he okay?"

"We're taking him to the infirmary now," was all he was told as the group was ushered out of the room and down the hall, leaving on Poe and his father.

Feeling his dad's eyes on him, Poe drew himself up straight. "Maybe he ate something …" Poe murmured, needing to do *something* - He'd seen BB-8 and Abbi rolling in the wake of the medical crew and knew he'd be told the instant there was anything to tell.

Kes followed him in, and Poe couldn't bring himself to be upset, though he was embarrassed to have his self control break in front of his father like that. He was tearing through the room, finding the plate and the bowl Finn had used. He set them aside to take to the infirmary just in case.

"Son?" Kes's voice got his attention, head snapping up. "You and Finn having some problems?" he asked, sounding a bit incredulous, picking something up from the floor by the nightstand.

Poe moved closer, seeing three nondescript pills in an equally nondescript small case, with one empty compartment. "No," he shook his head. "I've never seen these before."

"Ahh. It helps with certain issues in the bedroom." Kes said. "Don't usually see young folks like you and Finn with 'em."

"Oh Kriff!" Poe felt his chest tighten and he wobbled a little, Kes strong grip on his elbow the only thing keeping him from falling to the floor. "This is my fault," he sighed, head in his hands as he perched on the side of the bed.

"Alright, son." Poe felt the bed dip beside him and a warm hand on his back. He didn't say any more but the invitation - and gentle command - was there.

"Finn can't … He hasn't ever. I don't mind, I really don't. I love him," he said simply, addressing the floor, unable to look his father in the eye during this conversation.

"I know you do, Poe."

Poe drew in a ragged breath. "Monday, we were talking about it. I think he decided I wasn't happy and ... tried to do something about it."

"Well, the timing works out, if he took one after we knocked off," Kes mused. "Let's get this down to medical," Kes said, a squeeze to his shoulder. "If they know he took this, they can work out what's wrong."

Once they stood, Poe cleared his throat, straightening up.

Poe was deliberately and carefully avoiding the fact his father knew what they were for when the box had no label, or how the timing of a dose worked.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finn's eyes cracked open to a dim room, seeing a shadowy form in a chair nearby. Poe, asleep, in a chair at Finn's bedside.

Again.

"This is entirely too familiar," he said. Or tried to. What came out was a series of mumbles and dry rasps, culminating in a low cough that snapped Poe awake.

"Hey, sweetheart," Poe said, one hand on Finn's, the other reaching for a cup of water, putting the straw in Finn's mouth, drawing away only when it was ejected.

"What happened?" he asked once he could speak. Though he already knew the answer. About ten minutes after taking the pill, his head had begun to throb. He'd closed his eyes and tried to will it away, then everything had begun to hurt. He was unaware of the passage of time until   
BB-8 had tried to get his attention.

"I got back from patrol and BB-8 was in a panic, said you were hurting and wouldn't let him call medical. "Why didn't you?"

"Knew what caused it." Finn felt his voice rasp, eyes falling closed, not wanting to see Poe's face when faced with Finn's failure. "Took a pill."

"I know." Finn felt Poe's hands on his, two of them wrapped around, and then lips on his fingertips.

Finn's eyes blinked open. "How?" His body hurt less - not much at all, really but he was still absolutely exhausted. He'd just close his eyes for a second.

When he opened them again, the room was much brighter, and he didn't feel nearly so fatigued. There was no one at his bedside, this time, and he felt a little stab, wondering where everyone - anyone - had gotten to.

He was still struggling to sit up when Poe came in with two coffees. "Hey, sweetheart," he said when he saw Finn awake.

Setting his coffee aside, he moved to Finn's bedside and helped him get comfortable, the motions practiced from when Finn was here the first time. "Thank you," he said, feeling like he could suddenly breathe again.

"I was hoping I'd make it back before you woke up," Poe said after a very brief, light kiss.

"Sorry, always did heal fast."

Poe held his hand as he sat at Finn's bedside. "How're you feeling?"

"Better. I know I woke up last night but it was fuzzy," he said, not sure how much of it had been real or not.

"You told me that you took a pill and that's what caused the pain."

"And you said you knew," Finn nodded slowly, shaky hand reaching for the water cup.

"Yeah … I thought maybe you'd eaten something foul or were allergic, so I was looking for … Anything," he sighed. "Dad was there, he came by just as they were trying to work out *when* you got like this. He found the box under the nightstand."

Finn nodded faintly, then looked away, eyes closing, not wanting to see Poe's face if he was disgusted or upset. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I just-I wanted to-" he sighed, shaking his head. He had felt many things in his life, some before Poe, most of them after. It took him a moment to identify the heavy, ill feeling that started at his belly, curled around his toes and tried to claw its way up his throat. Failure.

"Hey, Finn, sweetheart," Poe's voice actually sounded a bit urgent and Finn realized he'd been saying Finn's name for a few minutes.

"Sorry," he mumbled, sniffing hard to keep the tears at bay.

"Let me say this and then we don't ever have to talk about it again, okay?" Poe said and Finn nodded, forcing his head to roll to face his lover, greeted by a broad smile.

"Okay," Finn agreed, cherishing that face for as long as it was still his.

"I'm upset at the pain it caused you, and I want to know why, because that's not any kind of reaction that anyone's seen. And I want to say again that I really, *really* like our sex life. If you don't believe me I'll prove it after you get out of here."

That prompted a huffing laugh from Finn, who smiled almost in spite of himself.

"But the fact that you … did this. That you tried to … fix something that isn't broken, just for me…. I can't tell you how much it means to me, that I mean that much to you," Poe said, his voice quiet. "But please, don't ever do this again," he said, gently pleading. "I don't think I can take finding you like that again."

"I promise, no more pills," Finn answered with a smile.

"And no more anything else to try and change you. There's nothing *broken,* Finn, so you don't need fixing."

Finn swallowed at the intensity of Poe's gaze, then nodded. "I promise," he murmured. "I still wish I knew why though." His bladder was making itself known and he began to push the covers away.

"Maybe it's just a quirk in your development." Poe helped, realizing what Finn needed.

"She did say trauma could sometimes … delay development," he mused, clinging to Poe as his feet touched the floor.

"So it's just a matter of being patient, waiting for everything to catch up. Meanwhile, we explore new ways of making love."

At the bathroom, Finn gave him a squeeze. "I don't deserve you, Poe, you're too good to an ex stormtrooper," he said.

"You're my other half, Finn," Finn flushed at the sentiment. "I'm lucky to have you." He caressed Finn's cheek before kissing him lightly. "Think you'll be okay to get back to bed by yourself?"

"Poe, I was fine to get here, I just wanted you close," he admitted with a shy smile.

"Okay, I'll go see if you can come home."

"Okay." WIth one final kiss, Poe left and Finn took care of business.

Thankfully, they did let him go. Kes cooked them a family dinner that night, and Leia joined them. "Figured you wouldn't want to deal with the mess hall crowd," Kes said as he dished out for all four of them.

"No," Finn agreed. "Not something I was looking forward to. Poe was going to just grab us something but this is much better."

If Poe was surprised to see Leia at a family dinner, he didn't say anything, so neither did Finn.

This meal turned out to be what they had expected last sunday's meal to be - a quiet, lightly intimate family dinner. Finn was treated to a few baby pictures - including the one of Poe in his mother's flight suit. Finn felt a slight ache that he didn't have any similar stories from his childhood. He doubted that 'one time a trainee didn't move fast enough and they're still picking her out of the machinery,' would go over well. He didn't even like to dwell on it, anymore.

Back in their room - really alone for the first time since the morning before, Finn felt tense. He worried - and had been worrying all day - that his slip up would damage things between him and Poe. More accurately, that Poe would realize he really did want whatever it was that Finn had failed to give him.

"Whatever you're thinking about, stop." Poe said, snapping Finn out of his gloomy thoughts.

"It's nothing," Finn assured him. He reached for some sleep pants and changed quickly. For the first time, he was self conscious, and turned away from Poe to change. If Poe noticed he didn't say anything.

As they approached the bed, Poe pulled Finn close. "You're as stiff as a board, sweetheart," he murmured before kissing him slowly.

Finn shuddered slightly at the arms around him, so familiar, so warm and welcoming. He let himself lose himself in the kiss and he felt tensions ease that he hadn't even known about.

"Lay on your stomach," Poe murmured. "I give pretty good back rubs," he spoke between light kisses.

"Never had one of those before," Finn murmured as he crawled onto the bed, soon adjusting a pillow and leaving his arms at his sides while Poe moved around the room, shutting off lights and rummaging for something.

He smiled at Poe's approach, pushing himself up for a slow kiss, Poe's hand warm between his shoulders. 

The lotion or oil was warm when Poe drizzled it lightly onto his back. "I got this to help with my scars," Poe spoke as he began to work Finn's shoulders, kneeling on the bed, leaning over.

"Mmm?"

"Helps them not pucker so badly, heal faster, softer." Poe's strong hands worked their way from Finn's shoulders down to his back and every rub, every press-and-twist sent shivers through Finn's body.

When Poe stood, Finn assumed it was over and made to lay on his side. A firm hand held him steady. "Not done, just moving," Poe explained.

Finn relaxed letting out a breath of surprise when he felt Poe's thighs on either side of his hips. Poe's hands resumed, working on both sides in tandem, starting at his neck. Thumbs from his hairline down, strong fingers at the tops of his shoulders, then along the blades, down his spine.

The warmth of the touches, and the certain knowledge that it was Poe, combined with the recent hospital visit, soon had Finn's eyes drifting closed and the last thing he recalled was Poe's hands at the small of his back. 

* * * * * * * * * *

Poe stretched slowly, drawing his arms over his head, feeling the depression of Finn beside him. It was rare, in the month and a half they'd been living together, that Poe woke first. Though he doubted his lover was entirely asleep.

Scratching at his stomach, Poe remembered they hadn't showered after last night. They often didn't when they made love before sleeping, which wasn't their habit, anyway. Usually, they had morning sex before Finn went to have a run, and Poe dozed off his orgasm.

He pushed up a little, moving slowly onto his side so he could see Finn better. He lay on his stomach as he usually did when they weren't cuddled. Arms were up under the pillow his head was on, and Poe could see the definition of his shoulders. Very nicely broad shoulders that he liked to grip onto when Finn was getting him off in various ways.

His eyes trailed down his back, the scars less noticeable. After his overnight stay in the hospital, Poe had delivered at least two back rubs a week. It was a paltry trade for almost daily one-sided orgasms, but it was something. Finn was starting to return the favor - as always, a quick study.

His eyes took in Finn's lean waist, and the little dip at the small of his back that Poe liked to rub his thumbs into at the end of a massage.

"If you stare any harder, your eyeballs are gonna fall out," Finn's voice was slightly muffled and sleepy but amused and he lifted his head, turning to blink sleepily at Poe, lips curved into a faint smile.

"It'd be worth it, if the last thing I saw was you," Poe murmured, settling back down, leaning to kiss Finn slowly.

Finn shifted, moving sideways on the bed, a well muscled thigh pressing between Poe's as he moved over him, arms braced on either side of Poe's ribs as the kisses deepened.

Poe's hard cock rubbed against Finn's soft one as their hips slotted together perfectly. He rocked up against Finn with a shuddering groan as he gripped Finn's shoulders.

Their chests pressed together as Finn kissed him, needfully and more aggressively than usual. Poe's arms wrapped around Finn, blunt nails digging into his skin.

Finally, the kiss ended with harsh gasps but they didn't move away. Lips brushed and breath mingled as eyes locked. Finn bit Poe's lip as his hips ground down, shifting and catching Poe's cock exactly *so* and Poe let an almost gurgling cry as the sensation was nearly overwhelming.

Finn did it again and Poe's nails raked down Finn's back, causing the other man to cry out. Poe's mouth was open to apologize, thinking he'd hurt Finn. Any words were swallowed by Finn's hungry mouth.

Finn kept repeating the grinding twist, enjoying the sounds Poe made every single time. Poe tried not to claw at him again but he couldn't help it, Finn was engaging in such exquisitely delicious torture as he worked Poe up.

His last thought before his orgasm took over was that his fingers were wet.

Blinking slowly as he recovered, he let his head fall back, Finn's mouth sucking and nipping lazily at the skin. Never enough to mark but enough to send rivulets of sensation all over Poe's body. "That was phenomenal," he breathed.

"I'm glad," Finn smiled. "You certainly came harder than usual," he murmured, teeth brushing against Poe's chin. "I love watching you come," he purred. "Everyone jokes about weird sex faces, but you don't … Your eyes close tight, your mouth falls open and when your head goes back, your throat …" Finn ran a hand over Poe's throat and Poe shuddered at how intimate that hand felt. Not squeezing, or even pressing, just the gentle weight of Finn's hand. "I love watching you when we make love. Sometimes I think an erection would be distracting," he admitted.

Poe chuckled, flushing softly. "It … can be," he admitted. "That's why I spend so much time looking at you when we're not making love." Poe leaned in to kiss Finn, slow and loving, hands sliding over Finn's back.

Or tried to, he felt something sticky and lifted his hand away, seeing a few flecks of blood, and more under his nails. "Oh, kriff! Finn, I'm sorry, I think I cut your back open." He tried to wiggle out from under Finn, who let him.

Poe sat up, Finn still on his stomach. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Sorry, you've got two good scratches and a bunch of welts." Poe bent and pressed a kiss to Finn's shoulder near where the deepest was. "I'll be back," he said as he slid off the bed.

Grabbing the first aid kit, Poe returned, grinning when he saw the sheet had fallen down around Finn's thighs. He gave his lover's ass a firm grope as he sat on the bedside. Opening the kit, he began tending Finn's scratches, first cleaning the wounds, then dabbing on some bacta on. 

"I liked it," Finn said as Poe was cleaning up from the kit. "You … clawing at my back. I liked it. Even the last bit. Especially the last bit."

Poe leaned down, kissing Finn softly. "I'll keep that in mind, but I'm still gonna patch you up, don't want any infections on my beautiful man." He felt sappy, saying things like that but it was true.

"Yessir," Finn said, rolling onto his back and stretching, sheet falling to his knees.

Poe drank in the sight. It had taken a good week after Finn's stint in the hospital to really resume their sex life. And it was only in the last week or so that Finn was losing his shyness about his genitals, finally accepting that Poe really was fine with him just as they were.

By the time Poe had put the kit away, Finn was already up, dressing for his run. 

"Any plans for today?" Poe asked, picking out his clothes for the day, planning to shower when Finn left. 

"Well, there's this cute pilot I was hoping to spend some time with." Finn's eyes sparkled before he looked down to tie his laces.

"Oh? Who's this cute pilot? I don't know any 'cute' pilots. Devilishly handsome, maybe."

"No, this one's definitely cute. Kind of a flirt, too. I mean, always making eyes at me, anyway."

"Mmmm, not sure I like this guy," Poe said, stroking his chin, making a mental note to shave. "Sounds cagey."

"Well, he did try and feel me up me under the table last night at dinner." Which directly resulted in their out-of-the-norm nighttime lovemaking.

"Definitely don't like him," Poe smirked. He stepped close to Finn, lips grazing his cheek as a hand slid down the front of Finn's shorts. He smiled at the feel of quiescent flesh against his palm. His fingers curled, gathering up Finn's cock and balls in a firm hold. "This is mine," he said possessively.

"Yes it is," Finn agreed, his breath hitching a little. Then he took a deep breath and spoke. "Well, I'm supposed to meet him at the X-wing trainer lot. Promised to take me flying. I'd suggest you beat him there," Finn smirked.

"Oh, I'll be there, sweetheart," Poe promised, easing his hand out and stealing a deep kiss before letting Finn go on his run.

Poe heard him greeting the General as the door closed behind him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finn lay back, Poe's hand on his chest, his head on Poe's belly as they gazed up at the sun through the dark orange leaves. "If I could distill this moment," he said softly, "And share it with every storm trooper there is, the war would be over," he sighed.

They'd flown, switching control as Finn learned - quickly - but Poe was still making sure to take his time, which made him a good teacher. And finally they'd landed here, the same place Poe had brought him so long ago to show him the colored lights.

He couldn't see Poe's smile but he could hear it in his voice. "That'd be nice. I'm just glad you can feel it. Is that selfish of me? That you being happy is … enough for me? I mean, I'd love for the war to end today but … I know it won't. Maybe I always knew this day was coming. I grew up with stories of the old war. One of my very first memories is listening to the celebrations at my grandfather's house, and he told me that the war was over and my parents were coming home. But when I got older, I realized … The empire hadn't been entirely destroyed. And that … thing. That human thing that started it in the first place was still there. It's why I joined the republic fleet in the first place. I figured they'd be the ones fighting whatever the Empire became, and I wanted to be there, like my mother and father."

Finn listened, having heard a few of the details from Kes already. Namely that he'd put in his retirement papers the second victory was declared. He'd had them drawn up for weeks, once it became clear that things were going to end soon, for better or for worse.

When Finn said nothing, Poe continued. "But they didn't. I had a few encounters, but nothing was done. I was told to get back in line, keep my head down … " he sighed. "Then I … Got my hands on some vital information, and the General came to see me personally. When she went back to D'Qar, I went with her, and my entire wing followed suit. It was the easiest and hardest thing i've ever done. I was doing the right thing, but at the same time, I was turning my back on my oath to the republic."

Finn's insides gave a little twist. He should have thought about it before. Yeah, Poe had been a Republic pilot before, and now he was resistance. So, from some angles, he was as much a traitor as Finn was. He knew how hard that could be, the weight it had on someone. He sat up and shifted, moving up to press a kiss to Poe's lips, arms braced around him.

"I'm glad you made the choices you did. Both joining and … the missions you took. If you hadn't been going after Lor Son Takka, I wouldn't have … we wouldn't have been at that village. I might have broken on whatever my first mission was, but I might not have. I might have … become what they wanted me to be. But instead I found you, and I … we … escaped."

"We did," Poe agreed, a hand resting on the back of Finn's neck. "And we found each other again. And I don't plan on letting you go any time soon."

Finn smiled at that. "Even with …" He sighed. "I don't see it ever getting better."

Poe frowned a moment, then nodded. "Okay, let's talk about this, babe," he said, his voice growing serious as he moved to sit up. He sat cross legged and Finn leaned back, legs bent, hands on the ground as he looked at his lover. "I can't say I don't care. But not for the obvious reasons. I worry that there's something wrong, some deep … problem that we don't know about, and it's what's causing the impotence. *That's* what my problem is, the worry that there's something wrong."

FInn nodded. "But you … There's things you want, sexually, that I can't give," he reminded Poe of his inference a while back.

"Okay, there's things I've done in the past that I've liked that we can't do, but, Finn, babe, sweetheart, that would be true even if you *could* get hard. I mean, I'm pretty familiar with your body and I haven't seen a cunt anywhere. Or a really, really long tongue. Or a-"

Finna finally laughed softly. "Okay, I get it. I … hadn't thought about it that way," he admitted, feeling a bit sheepish.

"And you've got fingers, babe. Very, very nice ones," Poe reached for one of his hands and FInn shifted his weight to let him have it. "Fingers that can go very lovely things and go all sorts of lovely places," he said, nipping the tip of Finn's index finger.

Finn blinked owlishly until he realized the implications and then he grinned. "They can," he said slowly "They really can," he agreed, leaning in to kiss Poe lightly."

They packed back into the x-wing shortly after that and soon landed back at the base. The next day, Finn and Kes' soldiers would be playing capture the flag and he wanted to get a good night's rest - though with his new realization, he didn't get nearly as much sleep as he should have. Not that he minded. 

Not that he minded one bit.

-fin(n)-

**Author's Note:**

> Believe it or not, the closet scene was written MONTHS before the clothes-swapping pictures came out!


End file.
